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New Jersey Senate Race Features New Ads From Frank Pallone, Cory Booker

Booker Foe Touts Stopping Tea Party
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Helping the middle class and defending Social Security are topping the issues in the new television commercials unveiled Monday by two Democrats in New Jersey's special United States Senate election.

Newark Mayor Cory Booker focused on bringing people together in his third television ad, while Rep. Frank Pallone used his first TV ad to promote his record in Congress and his upbringing as the son of a police officer. Booker and Pallone, along with Rep. Rush Holt and state Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver are running in the Aug. 13 special Democratic primary for the seat left vacant after the death of Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D) in June.

The winner will face the Republican primary winner, either former Bogota mayor Steve Lonegan or physician Alieta Eck, in the Oct. 16 special election. Booker has a commanding lead in Democratic primary and general election polls.

Pallone, who has unveiled a series of online videos, stuck with his theme of being an average New Jersey resident in the new ad. He touts his family and background, along with his record in Congress, including fighting against the tea party and working on Obamacare.

“Frank Pallone stopped the tea party from wrecking Social Security," the ad says.

Booker's commercial zeros in on Social Security, and features the popular Newark mayor addressing a series of issues including equal pay, a higher minimum wage and ending child poverty to promote equality.

“No matter what your background, race, culture, gay or straight, North Jersey or South Jersey, rich or poor, are lives are interconnected," Booker said. "We cannot have politics that divide instead of bringing us together.”

Booker's insistence that he will stand up for Social Security follows Oliver's accusations that he is not answering her questions on the issue. Oliver, who has been lagging in the polls, attacked Booker for taking to Twitter to answer questions about the movie "Snarknado," yet failing to respond to her.

Pallone continues to emphasize his endorsement from the Lautenberg family, including a Monday event he has planned with Bonnie Lautenberg, the late senator's widow. Lautenberg and Booker feuded in the months prior to Lautenberg's death. While Pallone has picked up the family's backing, Essex County Freeholder Brendan Gill, who ran Lautenberg's state operation, has become a top political adviser to Booker.

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Before You Go

113th Congress Facts
The Numbers(01 of07)
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The House has 233 Republicans and 200 Democrats. Each party should pick up one more seat when two vacancies are filled. Going into the election, the GOP edge was 242-193. Senate Democrats will have a caucus of 55, including two independents, Angus King of Maine and Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Republicans have 45. That's a pickup of two seats for Democrats.(Text via the Associated Press) (credit:Getty Images)
Women(02 of07)
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The House will have 79 women, including 60 Democrats. At the end of the last session, there were 50 Democratic women and 24 Republican women. The new Senate will have 20 women members, an increase of three. That consists of 16 Democrats and four Republicans. The last Senate had 12 Democratic women and five Republicans.(Text via the Associated Press) (credit:AP)
Freshmen(03 of07)
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With two vacancies to be filled, the House has 82 freshmen; 47 Democrats and 35 Republicans. As of the end of the last session, 87 of 103 freshmen were Republicans. The Senate will include 14 new faces, with nine Democrats and the independent King. Five are women. New senators include Brian Schatz, who was sworn in on Dec. 27 to fill the seat of the late Hawaii Democrat Daniel Inouye.(Text via the Associated Press)(Pictured at left: Incoming House freshmen of the 113th Congress pose for a group photo on the East steps of the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 15, 2012. AP Photo/Susan Walsh) (credit:AP)
African Americans(04 of07)
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The House will have 40 African-Americans, all Democrats. The number of Democrats is unchanged, although two Republicans will be gone: Allen West, R-Fla., lost his re-election bid, and Tim Scott, R-S.C., was appointed to fill the Senate seat of Jim DeMint, R-S.C., who is retiring. Scott will be the first black lawmaker in the Senate since Roland Burris, who retired in 2010 after filling the Illinois Senate seat of Barack Obama for almost two years.(Text via the Associated Press)(Pictured at left: Rep. Tim Scott, R-S.C., who was appointed by South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley to replace outgoing Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., walks out of the Republican policy luncheon on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2012. AP Photo/Susan Walsh) (credit:AP)
Hispanics(05 of07)
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The new House will have 33 Hispanics, with 25 Democrats and eight Republicans. That's up slightly from last year. The Senate will have three Hispanics: Democrat Robert Menendez of New Jersey, Republican Marco Rubio of Florida and Republican freshman Ted Cruz of Texas.(Text via the Associated Press)(Pictured at left: Rep.-elect Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, speaks with members of the media after a news conference with newly elected Democratic House members on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2012. AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) (credit:AP)
Other Minorities(06 of07)
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The new House will have nine Asian Americans, all Democrats. There are two American Indians: Tom Cole, R-Okla., and Ben Lujan, D-N.M.(Text via the Associated Press)(Pictured at left: Sen.-elect, current Rep. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, and her husband, Leighton Oshima ride the Senate Subway on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2012. AP Photo/Harry Hamburg) (credit:AP)
Other Facts(07 of07)
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According to CQ Roll Call newspaper, the average age of House members in the 113th Congress is 57; the average age of senators is 62. It estimates that the House will include some 277 Protestants and Catholics, 22 Jews, two Muslims and two Buddhists. The Senate will have 80 Protestants and Catholics and 10 Jews. The House will have its first Hindu, Rep.Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii. Senate freshman Mazie Hirono, also of Hawaii, will be the Senate's only Buddhist and its first Asian American woman. Also for the first time, white men will be a minority among House Democrats.(Text via the Associated Press)Pictured at left: Rep.-elect Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii is seen on stage during a news conference with newly elected Democratic House members, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2012. AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) (credit:AP)
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