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The New York Times
Republican
Congressman in New Jersey
Will Retire
By RAYMOND HERNANDEZ,
nytimes.com from the Web, November 20, 2007
WASHINGTON, Nov. 19 —
Representative Mike Ferguson of New Jersey, a Republican who narrowly won
re-election last year and faced the prospect of another tough race in 2008,
announced on Monday that he will retire, dealing an unexpected setback to
national leaders of his party.
The retirement of Mr. Ferguson, who plans to serve in Congress until the end of
his fourth term next year, gives Democrats a prime opportunity to pick up a
Republican-held seat in next year’s national fight for control of the House of
Representatives. Democrats repeatedly sought to unseat Mr. Ferguson, 37,
after he took office in 2001, tying him to President Bush and his conservative
allies in Congress.
But Mr. Ferguson managed to win each election, partly because he sought to
establish his own political identity by openly criticizing national leaders of
his party on issues that appealed to the politically moderate sensibilities of
voters in his district, including health care and the environment.
The news of Mr. Ferguson’s decision comes at a difficult time for Republican
leaders in Washington, who, because of a rash of other retirements, find
themselves forced to defend seats that once seemed relatively safe.
Mr. Ferguson is the 15th Republican member of the House to announce retirement
plans since Democrats took control after the 2006 elections.
New Jersey, moreover, is shaping up as a major front next year in the battle for
control of the House.
Mr. Ferguson’s decision comes less than two weeks after Representative Jim
Saxton, a Republican who has represented New Jersey’s Third Congressional
District for more than two decades, said he would not seek re-election because
of health concerns. In announcing his retirement, Mr. Ferguson, who is
married with four young children, cited his desire to spend more time with his
family.
But Democrats said his decision was a measure of the low morale among
Republicans now that they are in the minority and face a difficult time taking
back the House.
Mr. Ferguson, whose Seventh Congressional District spans portions of Hunterdon,
Middlesex, Somerset and Union Counties, had been positioning himself for a tough
re-election challenge, in which he was likely to face Assemblywoman Linda D.
Stender, the Democratic opponent he narrowly defeated in last year’s race.
With the political climate potentially brutal for Republicans, Mr. Ferguson
seemed to be leaving little to chance. He had become more outspoken in his
criticism of his party and, just as important, he had amassed nearly $800,000 in
campaign funds as of the end of September.
Mr. Ferguson’s decision to retire caught national Republican officials off guard
and sent them scrambling to find a candidate to replace him.
On Monday, Republicans offered a list of names that included Thomas H. Kean Jr.,
whose father is the popular former two-term governor of New Jersey and chairman
of the 9/11 Commission.
But late in the day, Mr. Kean, the minority leader-designate in the State Senate
who ran unsuccessfully in the United States Senate race, said he would not seek
Mr. Ferguson’s seat, according to The Associated Press.
Other Republicans mentioned as possible candidates were Jon M. Bramnick, the
Assembly minority whip; State Senator Leonard Lance; Patricia Flannery, the
mayor of Bridgewater; and Bob Franks, Mr. Ferguson’s predecessor in the House.
Democrats have been rallying around their likely nominee, Ms. Stender, who lost
to Mr. Ferguson with 49 percent of the vote.
Ms. Stender, who raised nearly $2 million in her previous run for the seat, has
about $250,000 at her disposal, according to the latest campaign finance
disclosure statements. Democrats closely involved in her campaign said
that figure should rise to more than $600,000 by the end of the year.
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