Camille Spinello Andrews (born c. 1960) is an American Democratic Party politician from New Jersey, who was initially a candidate in the 2008 United States House of Representatives elections in New Jersey, running to represent New Jersey's 1st congressional district.[1]
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Andrews is the wife of Rob Andrews, the district's current Representative, who sought the Democratic nomination for one of the state's U.S. Senate seats in 2008. Since Rob Andrews could not run for the Senate while seeking re-election for his House seat, Camille was accused of being a "placeholder," who would presumably cede candidacy in the general election to another Democrat, possibly her husband, were he to lose the Senate Democratic primary to incumbent Frank Lautenberg.[2] Camille insisted that she was no placeholder, but she conceded that if asked by her party's leaders, she would step down and allow another candidate to run.[1]
The 48 year-old[3] Andrews, besides being an attorney for a private equity firm, has been on leave since September 2007 from her other position, Associate Dean of the Rutgers School of Law in Camden, New Jersey.[4] Holding the latter position has drawn criticism of a conflict of interest of her husband, as he directed over $2 million dollars in federal earmarks between 2001 and the present. Dale Glading, a Republican politician also seeking Rob Andrews' seat, has called the earmarks "borderline unethical." [5] However, both the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct and the law school's internal council have asserted that there was no conflict of interest, on the grounds that Camille's status as an employee was not affected by the granting of the earmarks.[5]
Camille Andrews won the Democratic primary for her husband's seat in the House, but Rob Andrews was beaten by Lautenberg in the Senate primary. After losing to Lautenberg, Rob Andrews decided to run for re-election to his House seat; Camille withdrew her candidacy on September 3, and Rob Andrews announced that on September 4 that he would take her place as the Democratic candidate. He maintained that his wife had not been merely a placeholder candidate and said that he had only decided to run for re-election a week before he announced it; according to Andrews, his change of heart was a result of personal reflection.[6]
Andrews and her husband reside in Haddon Heights, New Jersey, and have two teenage daughters.[3]
| Preceded by Rob Andrews |
Democratic Nominee for U.S. House of Representatives for the 1st Congressional District June 2008 – September 2008 |
Succeeded by Rob Andrews |