While there is no shortage of potential Republican candidates to vie for the open seat being left behind by retiring Rep. Mike Ferguson (R-NJ), it looks like the GOP's top three choices have all taken a whiff of the race and said "no".
GOP wunderkind Tom Kean, Jr. was the first to pull his name from contention last night. A known name statewide who gave Bob Menendez a competitive race last year, Kean could have been a good recruit here.
Next to pass is state Assembly Minority Whip Jon Bramnick, also considered a strong contender. In a conversation with PolitickerNJ.com, Bramnick implied that the rough national environment for Republicans was the deciding factor:
"There's a big difference between federal and state politics. In Trenton, Democrats had a chance to govern and they did not do well. In Washington, everything hinges now on the economy and on the Iraq War," Bramnick told PolitickerNJ.com.
The third top challenger to pass on the race? Former Rep. Bob Franks, who held the seat for four terms before he took on Jon Corzine (and barely lost) in the 2000 Senate race. Franks has "no desire" to run again right now.
Which GOP pretender will be next to smell the glove? Stay tuned!
