Senator Frank Lautenberg, the oldest member of U.S. Senate will not contest the upcoming 2014 elections.
"I will be traveling to my hometown of Paterson tomorrow to announce that I will not seek re-election in 2014," Lautenberg said in a statement. "This is not the end of anything, but rather the beginning of a two-year mission to pass new gun safety laws, protect children from toxic chemicals, and create more opportunities for working families in New Jersey. While I may not be seeking re-election, there is plenty of work to do before the end of this term and I'm going to keep fighting as hard as ever for the people of New Jersey in the U.S. Senate."'
The reach for the seat will be a challenging task for 89-year-old Lautenberg's successors. Possible successors emerged months ago. Newark Mayor Cory Booker, 43, said he was exploring a run for the seat and Democratic Rep. Frank Pallone has also been considering a bid for the seat, along with a number of state-level politicians, reported the The Wall Street Journal.
The journal further reported that Lautenberg is the last of the generation of senators who served in World War II. Following the death of Sen. Daniel Inouye and the retirement of Sen. Daniel Akaka-both Hawaii Democrats-Lautenberg became the chamber's only World War II veteran.
He is known to be a driving force behind laws that are now taken for granted, such as setting the national minimum drinking age at 21 and banning smoking on airplanes.
