New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie announced Thursday afternoon that he has chosen his state attorney general, Jeff Chiesa, to serve as an interim senator for the four months in between now and when Garden State voters select a longer-term replacement for the late Frank Lautenberg, who died on Monday.
Christie announced earlier this week that the special election would be held on October 16, only weeks before the general election that will decide whether the New Jersey Republican wins another four-year term as most expect he will. Chiesa, who is a registered Republican, will not run in the special election, according to Christie.
Chiesa served as Christie’s chief counsel from January 2010 through the end of 2011, when he was tapped for the AG post. He also served as the executive director of Christie’s transition team after he was elected. (Chiesa’s full government bio is here.) His appointment, temporarily at least, gives Republicans one more seat in the Democratically-controlled Senate.
