If Pennacchio wins...
By Wally EdgeIf Joe Pennacchio wins his race for the United States Senate, he would become the first sitting State Senator to go directly to the U.S. Senate since William Smathers ousted Hamilton Kean in 1936. Smathers was elected to the State Senate from Atlantic County in 1935 and went on to unseat the one-term incumbent, whose great-grandson, Thomas Kean, Jr., is now the State Senate Minority Leader.
The last incumbent State Senator to win a statewide U.S. Senate primary was Kean, Jr. in 2006, and before that, William Ely, a Bergen County Democrat who lost an open U.S. Senate race in 1938. The rest, including Alexander Menza (1978), Dick LaRossa (1996), Bill Gormley (2000), Diane Allen and John Matheussen (2002).
Smathers served just one term in the U.S. Senate before losing re-election in 1942. His nephew, George Smathers, served three terms as a Democratic U.S. Senator from Florida.
One more if Pennacchio wins: look for freshman Assemblyman Jay Webber to have an easy time moving up to the State Senate.
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Wake up Wally!
It is time to go to work.
Wally
You get paid for this drivel?
what if
Bruce Springsteen runs for governor and wins. He would be the first musician to do so in new jersey. The E Street Band, all break out into congressional districts and win. Slowly, but surely, Governor Springsteen is building a power alliance of musicians turned politicians, which sparks a movement, across the country. Soon, every famous musician and their bands are running for statewide office, with Governor Springsteen consolidating power. While republicans claim he's just another democratic, "Boss", christie, who is still in the attorney general's office because he is the Meat Loaf of the musical/political scene, is unable to make up any charges against, "the Boss". After his approval ratings soar through the roof in every major demographic and every state in the country, he decides to run for president. While Hillary runs, once again, for president, her "throw the sink" approach to politics doesnt work on the Boss. Yet her unfortunate analogies and metaphors continue, saying "we are going to beat the drum of american pride". The most notable event of the campaign, for us music junkies, a candidate finally breaks from the usual songs of signed, sealed, delievered, and mellancamp's small town and uses his own song, promised land, as his campaign tune "If I could take one moment into my hands. Mister I ain't a boy no I'm a man and I believe in a promised land". Winning the general election, President Springsteen appoints Eric Clapton, to Secretary of Awesomeness, Neil Young as the Secretary of the Interior, Paul Simon is tapped to figure out the social security problem for the baby boomer generation. Iggy Pop is selected as Springsteen's vice-president, in a similiar role to that of VP Cheney, to fill the seat and not divert attention away from the President.
MY POINT IS THIS IS MUCH MORE LIKELY THAN YOUR SCENARIO WALLY
That's one hell of a "What If" Wally
Jersey Joe needs to worry about the "none of the above" candidate beating him.