Dishonest politicians aren't hard to find. But Rep. Robert E. Andrews (D., N.J.) has managed to distinguish himself in a crowded field.
During his ill-considered blitz on fellow Democrat Frank Lautenberg's Senate seat last spring, Andrews and party leaders contrived to get the congressman's wife nominated for his House seat in the Camden County-based First District.
This looked so much like a dubious placeholding arrangement for the congressman that many journalists asked if it was. Andrews denied it in utterly categorical terms, promising again and again that he would not come back for his House seat.
"Win or lose, I'm not running for Congress," Andrews, 51, of Haddon Heights, said six months ago. "I'm going to be a senator next year, God and the voters willing."
Perhaps the Almighty will be more inclined to let Andrews win this election, but the voters should not be. Andrews lied to them. And although he is a gifted politician with whom this newspaper often agrees, everything about his convoluted reelection scheme shows cynical disregard for the people who elected him.
Andrews argued that the voters needed a real choice in the Senate primary. Fortunately, they have such a choice in this House race.
DALE GLADING
is an unusually strong Republican candidate for this heavily Democratic district, and he has The Inquirer's endorsement.
Glading, 49, of Barrington, runs a national prison ministry. We disagree with him on some of the issues, but he has articulated reasonable, moderate positions on immigration reform, the war in Iraq, and Social Security. Most important, he has given us no reason to doubt his integrity.
Adler best in the Third
In the Third District, anti-Republican political tides and the retirement of GOP Rep. Jim Saxton have given South Jersey one truly competitive congressional race.
The contest to represent the district - stretching from Cherry Hill through Burlington County to the Shore - has attracted a pair of respectable candidates, even if they have not been entirely respectful of each other during the heated campaign.
Republican Chris Myers, 42, boasts an impressive resume: Gulf War combat veteran, Lockheed Martin executive, and mayor of Medford. Myers prescribes corporate tax restructuring, supports President Bush's tax cuts, and takes a hawkish stance on Iraq.
Democrat John Adler, 49, of Cherry Hill, is a lawyer and an influential state senator in Trenton. He emphasizes ending the war in Iraq, and he argues that the economy requires a "New Deal-type Congress and president."
Each man has accused the other of imposing excessive taxes and slavishly following party leaders, but both are guilty of exaggeration.
True, Adler has been associated with a sometimes unsavory South Jersey machine and a fiscally careless legislative majority, but he has been a capable and often independent lawmaker.
Myers, for his part, should not be tarred as a foot soldier for Bush, having differed with the administration on key issues such as offshore drilling. But he does slip into Bush talking points on Iraq, especially the bogus argument that the war constitutes fighting terrorists "over there" instead of "here in the streets."
JOHN ADLER
has the right views on the most pressing national issues, and he has our endorsement.
Reelect LoBiondo
South Jersey's other two congressional districts heavily favor their longtime Republican incumbents.
In the Second District - encompassing all or part of seven counties across the southern end of the state - incumbent Republican
FRANK LoBIONDO
of Ventnor has easily won our endorsement.
LoBiondo is a moderate, experienced representative who has worked on security, environmental and agricultural issues in his district. Democratic challenger David Kurkowski, a Cape May city councilman since 2006, has not made much of a case against the congressman.
Smith on principle
In New Jersey's Fourth District, which spans from northern Burlington County and Trenton to the Shore, incumbent Republican
CHRIS SMITH
of Hamilton has our support over the Democratic challenger, Bordentown historian Josh Zeitz.
While we disagree with Smith's views on some social issues, he has taken principled stands for human rights.
He's made numerous international trips to advocate for Americans and others, most recently to get two New Jersey girls out of harm's way after fighting broke out in Georgia.
Smith also stood up for veterans against members of his own party, losing a committee chairmanship in the process.