Vulnerable N.J. Republican Frelinghuysen To Step Down From Congress
TRENTON, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- A vulnerable New Jersey Republican is retiring from the House of Representatives rather than running for reelection.
As WCBS 880's Peter Haskell reported, Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-New Jersey) represents the 11th District in North Jersey and is in his 12th term.
Frelinghuysen was being squeezed from both sides. As chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, he needed to toe the Republican Party line – though is district is not politically aligned with the national GOP.
"It was basically a lose-lose situation," said Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute. "So as Republicans tend to be significantly more moderate, there are a high number of anti-Trump Republicans in that district."
President Donald Trump won Frelinghuysen's district by just one point, and voters opposed Trump's health care and tax plans. Murray said that all made Frelinghuysen vulnerable.
Frelinghuysen, 71, was first elected to Congress in 1994. He has a family that traces its roots back to the American Revolution.