Having watched Senate races for 20-plus years, I am not easily surprised. But, last night's announcement by Rep. Rob Andrews that he would challenge Sen. Frank Lautenberg in the Democratic primary rates as one of those rare events.
When Andrews's name was floated last week, I dismissed it, believing that even if Andrews was serious, party leaders would talk him down. And if that failed, the usual threats of political retribution would be issued. It appears that neither worked.
There are lots of reasons for Andrews to run--and an equal number of reasons for him to stay put in the House. Lautenberg's age has to be the single biggest reason Andrews even bothered to look at this race. He is 84 and will turn 85 in January, meaning that if he is re-elected, he would be almost 91 at the end of his term. Voters have expressed concern about this. In a February Quinnipiac University survey, 58 percent said that Lautenberg is too old to be effective for another Senate term. At age 50, Andrews represents a strong physical contrast
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