Is Lautenberg Too Old?

Slightly more than half of New Jersey’s voters think U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, 83, is too old to serve another term, according to a Quinnipiac University poll.
He would be 84 if he ran next year, and 90 at the end of his six-year term.
The same poll found 41 percent approved his performance, 32 percent disapproved. And 7 percent favored him over an unnamed Republican opponent.
Ironically, age was a minor issue in his favor when Lautenberg first ran for the senate in 1981. His opponent, Republican Millicent Fenwick, 72, was 10 years older.
But aging and views on aging have changed in the last 25 years.
For his part, Lautenberg says he is in excellent health and has no intention of hanging it up.
“The issue is effectiveness,” he said.
It’s difficult to imagine any Democratic move to dump Lautenberg. Dems presumably will be heavy favorites in a presidential election year. Republicans haven’t carried the state for president since 1988 and the last Republican elected to the senate was Clifford Case from 1955 to 1979.
Lautenberg, who served from 1982 to 2001, “retired,” was bored, and came back in 2003, has $2.9 million in his campaign fund.
Republican state chairman Tom Wilson says age will definitely be an issue if Lautenberg runs.
Your comments?