Sad news: Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) has been diagnosed with stomach cancer and will begin chemotherapy today.
The 86-year-old is the second-oldest sitting U.S. senator — behind the ailing Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) — and was first elected to the Senate in 1982.
From The Star-Ledger:
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.”