86 Year Old Democrat US New Jersey Senator Frank Lautenberg Diagnosed with Stomach Cancer

86 year old U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg from New Jersey has been diagnosed with stomach cancer. Lautenberg had been taken to the hospital last week hospitalized last week with a bleeding ulcer

U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, New Jersey’s 86-year-old senior senator, was diagnosed with treatable cancer in the stomach in the last 24 hours and will begin chemotherapy today.

The Democrat still plans to finish out his current term – his fifth in the Senate – and seek re-election in 2014.

“This doesn’t change any of that,” Lautenberg’s chief aide, Dan Katz, said of the senator’s political plans. “After he receives his treatment, back to normal.”

Although not agreeing with any much of Lautenberg’s politics, we do wish the Senator a speedy and healthy recovery. I would have to agree with Jammie Wearing Fool,  disagree and be some what suspect of the statement from Lautenberg’s office. It would be hard to believe that the NJ Senator would be running for reelection in 2014 at the age of 90. Retirement is most likely the option. One would suspect with the political environment at hand, Lautenberg will step down before 2014 even though that most likely means that new elected Republican NJ Gov. Christie would appoint a Republican to the seat.

Hot Air points out the recent situation where Dems were wary of Lautenberg leaving the Senate early. New Jersey Democrats introduced a bill in the state legislature back in November addressing the very issue to replace special elections with a appointment by the governor. That is of course when a Democrat was the governor.

However, for the short term one has to wonder just how long that Lautenberg will not be present in the Senate and a rubber stamp for any Obama legislation.

We do wish him well.