A special U.S. Senate election to replace the late Democratic Sen. Frank Lautenberg can be held in October, as it was scheduled by Republican Gov. Chris Christie, a New Jersey court ruled Thursday.
Republican Gov. Chris Christie appointed state Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa to the Senate temporarily and called special primary for Aug. 13 and general election for mid-October for the remainder of the term.
Newark Mayor Cory Booker, who has used his social-media and political savvy to gain national prominence, is in the race to finish the U.S. Senate term of the late Frank Lautenberg, along with two Democratic congressmen and a Republican former mayor.
The rules are set and now the scramble is on for filling the U.S. Senate seat that became vacant this week when the nation's oldest senator, Frank Lautenberg, died.