President Obama has taped a spot for New Jersey Senate candidate Cory Booker, the Newark mayor whose race for the Senate has unexpectedly tightened up in recent weeks.
Booker had been considered the front-runner since Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg announced that he would not seek re-election in 2014. Lautenberg's death in June set off a special election for his seat that drew interest from four prominent Democrats, including two U.S. representatives.
Booker won the Aug. 13 Democratic primary, but Steve Lonegan, the Republican primary winner, has chipped away at his lead. During and after the primary, Booker led Lonegan by well over 20 points in some polls. The most recent surveys give Booker a 12- to 13-point edge.
The election is Wednesday -- an unusual date that Obama notes in the spot. "That's right," Obama says in the ad, "Wednesday."
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin endorsed Lonegan over the weekend and campaigned with him,