Lee B. Laskin

Camden County freeholder (197073) In 1969, Laskin chose not to seek re-election to the Assembly and declined to run for mayor of Camden. He instead ran for a three-year term on the Camden County Board of Chosen Freeholders, and he was succeeded in the Assembly by James Florio, a young Democratic attorney and future governor. Republicans initially recruited William Cahill Jr. before settling on county parks commissioner Addison Bradley. After the primary, however, Bradley faced allegations that he had used his job to influence a private land deal and dropped out of the race. Laskin was chosen to run in his place, sidelining former Assembly speaker William Dickey and Cherry Hill mayor John Rocco. Rocco, who was elected to the Assembly in 1979, feuded with Laskin for much of their time in Trenton.

In the general election, Laskin defeated Pachter with 52 percent of the vote. Laskin was re-elected to the Senate in 1981 against Cherry Hill judge James Greenberg, 1983 against Audubon mayor Francis Ward, and 1987 against Cherry Hill mayor Maria Barnaby Greenwald. Greenwald was his closest challenger, winning 47 percent of the vote.

1991 defeat In 1988, Kean nominated labor leader George Norcross to the state racing commission, but Laskin used senatorial courtesy to block the appointment. As a result, when Norcross's son George III became Democratic county chairman in 1991, he sought revenge against Laskin.

Despite a Republican landslide in the 1991 elections fueled by voter anger at a $2.8 billion tax increase, Laskin was the sole incumbent Republican legislator defeated, although both of his Assembly running mates were re-elected. He faced a late blitz of television advertising in the Philadelphia media market attacking him and supporting his opponent, Cherry Hill councilman John Adler. The Adler campaign and the Democratic Party spent a record amount on the election, airing ads during a Philadelphia Eagles game on Monday Night Football and Game 7 of the 1991 World Series. Funded partly by a $250,000 person loan from George Norcross III, the Democratic campaign deliberately began late to catch Laskin off guard and viciously attacked his record, such as a mailer which referenced Laskin's vote against an assault weapons ban with a chalk outline reading, "You could be next."

Judicial career After his 1991 defeat, Laskin was widely expected to receive a judicial appointment as a compromise between Jim Florio and the new Republican senate majority. However, following allegations that the Republicans were blocking other Camden County nominees to force his nomination, Laskin had a heart attack in May 1993 and withdrew from consideration. John Adler supported his nomination.

While retiring from the Superior Court in June 2006, Laskin was recalled multiple times to serve as a senior judge. He had been recalled every two years, with the final one beginning in 2014 and ending in 2016.