Long on tenure, short on clout

Ever wonder why New Jersey doesn't get its fair share of tax money back from Washington? The conventional wisdom is that because New Jersey is the wealthiest state in the U.S., it contributes more in federal income taxes and requires less in social services.
A new ranking of the most influential members of Congress may offer another clue: New Jersey has one of the least powerful Congressional delegations in the nation. According to Congress.org, New Jersey's representatives rank ahead of only those in Arkansas and Georgia in political clout. Even the territory of Puerto Rico has more influence than New Jersey.
Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., who recently announced he would be seeking re-election in 2008, at age 84, was the 3rd least powerful senator of the 99 senators ranked. Bob Menendez, who replaced Jon Corzine as senator when Corzine became governor, was not included in the rankings.
On the House side, Rep. Chris Smith, R-6, was rated the 36th most powerful congressman in the nation and the most powerful in the 12-member New Jersey delegation. Jim Saxton was 103rd nationally and second in the state. The study ranked 436 members of Congress.
The national rankings of the other members of the N.J. delegation:
Frank LoBiondo, R-2, 109
Scott Garrett, R-5, 147
Rodney Frelinghuysen, R-11, 191
Steven Rothman, D-9, 241 (top-ranked Democrat)
Scott Ferguson, R-7, 291 (lowest-ranked Republican)
Frank Pallone, D-6, 303
Rob Andrews, D-1, 327
Donald Payne, D-10, 338
Rush Holt, D-12, 340
Bill Pascrell, D-8, 373 (lowest-ranked member of delegation)