Aide: Sen. Lautenberg not retiring

An aide to Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) is rejecting a report that the New Jersey Democrat has decided to retire.

“The news report that claims Senator Lautenberg has decided to retire is simply not true,” Lautenberg’s spokesperson, Caley Gray, said in a statement Friday evening.

{mosads}Late Friday afternoon, a New York television station reported that Lautenberg had decided not to run for reelection, citing unidentified sources.

“Sources familiar with Lautenberg’s thinking tell NBC 4 New York that the senator, who turns 89 this month, won’t run again in 2014,” according to the report.

Newark, N.J., Mayor Cory Booker (D) has filed official papers with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) establishing his campaign committee, even though he has not yet officially announced he is running for the U.S. Senate in 2014.

Booker announced in a video posted online that he planned to serve out his term as Newark mayor, but was “explor[ing] the possibility” of running for Sen. Frank Lautenberg’s (D-N.J.) seat.