NEW JERSEY: Gov. Christie Appoints State Attorney General To US Senate

The Newark Star-Ledger has the story but neglected to update their place-holding headline:

Gov. Chris Christie today named state attorney general Jeffrey Chiesa to fill the Senate seat left vacant by the death of U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg. Christie’s announcement at a hastily arranged news conference ended days of intense speculation over whom the Republican governor would appoint to serve nearly five months before voters elect a replacement for the 89-year-old Lautenberg, who died Monday. New Jersey voters haven’t sent a Republican to the Senate in four decades.

The New York Times has more:

Mr. Chiesa served as chief counsel to Mr. Christie from January 2010 through December 2011, when he was nominated to be New Jersey attorney general. He will not seek the Senate seat when his term is done, Mr. Christie said. The decision promised to shift the dynamics of the race, especially for Republicans.  On the Democratic side, Representative Rush Holt, who has represented central New Jersey for eight terms in Congress, on Thursday announced his intention to compete for the seat. He is likely to face Mayor Cory Booker of Newark, a prodigious fund-raiser who has become one of the state’s most visible politicians. He had been planning to run for the Senate even before Mr. Lautenberg died.  Representative Frank Pallone Jr., a Democrat who has served 13 terms, is also expected to run. He has millions of dollars in campaign funds available for the race.