In a decision fraught with political implications, Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey announced on Tuesday that he would schedule a special election in October for the Senate seat left vacant by the death of Frank R. Lautenberg on Monday.
The move was expected to draw criticism from Democrats in the state, arguing that such a move by Mr. Christie, a Republican, would amount to squandering taxpayer money to protect his own political ambitions. Scheduling a special election rather than adding the vote for the Senate seat to the November ballot would cost millions of dollars.
A special Oct. 16 ballot means the choice of a new senator will not overshadow the race for governor, which will now remain at the top of statewide ballots in November. Republicans in the state are counting on Mr. Christie, who has been hoping that a landslide re-election victory will help propel a possible run for president in 2016, to draw his supporters to the polls, helping Republican candidates for the state Legislature and for many local offices.
Conflicting New Jersey statues on how to fill Senate vacancies left Mr. Christie with at least two other options about when to schedule the election.
Republicans nationally were pressing him to opt for an interpretation that would allow him to delay an election until November 2014. That would have allowed Mr. Christie’s choice of an interim senator, presumably from his own party, to give Republicans in the Senate the gift of an extra vote – complicating efforts by the White House and congressional Democrats to advance their agenda, including overhauling immigration laws and pushing through presidential nominations.
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