4 file to run in the GOP primary in Senate
Booker faces challenge; 12 House seats up
Some of the Republicans who filed by Monday’s deadline to run in the June primary for U.S. Senate are pitching bold ideas to stand out in a crowded field, including calls for ending international alliances and returning to the gold standard.
None of the four hopefuls — Jeffrey M. Bell of Leonia, Brian D. Goldberg of West Orange, Richard Pezzullo of Freehold, and Murray Sabrin of Fort Lee — has won elected office before, though most are veterans of past campaigns.
Five men had been traveling the state seeking party support, but retired FBI agent Robert Turkavage of Cranford got stuck in traffic and was not able to reach the state Division of Elections by the 4 p.m. deadline to file his petitions.
“It is what it is,” a disappointed Turkavage said by phone. “We’re a nation of laws, a nation of rules. I have nobody to blame but myself.”
Running for the Democratic nomination is Sen. Cory Booker of Newark, who in October won a special election for the remainder of the late Sen. Frank Lautenberg’s term, which runs through January.
The Senate race tops a ballot that also includes elections for all 12 House seats, including three with no incumbents running. Two of the open seats are in districts that are solidly Democratic, but one — the 3rd District covering Burlington and Ocean counties — has switched from Republican to Democratic and back in the past six years, and has attracted the interest of national parties. (Jackson/The Record)
