New Jersey Republicans have lost their top recruit to run for the open seat of retiring Rep. Jim Saxton (R-NJ) today: State Senator Diane Allen, who was considered a potentially formidable contender for the open seat, released a statement that cited the specter of a contentious GOP primary for her decision.

The news strengthens the hand of Democrats, who believe that their recruit, state Sen. John Adler, is well-poised to capture this moderate swing district.

Republicans will apparently have yet another vacant House seat to deal with this cycle. PolitickerNJ reports that 12-term Congressman Jim Saxton (R-NJ) will not seek re-election.

President Bush carried this district by only three points against John Kerry — the same as Bush's national margin that year — so expect the Dems to make a major push for the open seat in what is expected to be a much more Democratic year.

Saxton had already attracted a strong challenger in state Senator John Adler, a leading South Jersey Democrat.

Late Update: It's official.

National Dems think they have a major pickup opportunity in New Jersey, now that Dem State Senator John Adler has announced that he will challenge GOP Rep. Jim Saxton.

Saxton's district is precisely the type of district that national Dems think is particularly fertile ground this year: suburban and inclined to vote Dem in national elections. While Bush won the district by under 3% in 2004, Al Gore carried the district by a wide 10% margin in 2000, and next year's Dem Presidential nominee will almost certainly improve on John Kerry's mediocre performance there.

What's more, Adler starts the campaign with $194,000 available in his coffers -- money left over from a Senatorial campaign committee that he opened in 2003 in the event of a retirement from Senator Frank Lautenberg. And it won't be his first time challenging the 13-term Saxton. His first attempt, in 1990 at age 31, before he became a state senator, fell short by 19 points, but he knows the district and has stumped there in the past. For all these reasons, Dems are bullish on their chances of picking up the seat.