The rough-and-tumble race for the US Senate in New Jersey literally hit home for Newark Mayor Cory Booker Monday — who was forced to explain that he recently changed his residency and voting address.
It was a bizarre ending to a campaign where the Democratic candidate was expected to be a shoo-in, but instead finds himself locked in a spirited fight with Republican Steve Lonegan.
Lonegan held a press conference in front of 435 Hawthorne Ave. in Newark to charge that Booker might be lying about where he lives and is registered to vote, basing his allegation on the work of conservative journalist Charles Johnson. A video produced by Johnson had neighbors saying they hadn’t seen Booker at the address.
“Where he lives is a mystery to a lot of people. This location appears to be a police station or police substation,” Lonegan told The Post.
“Let me tell you something. I lived in the same house for 25 years.
It’s no mystery,” the former Bogota, NJ mayor said.
But a source at the Essex County Board of Elections said Booker is registered to vote from another house, 19 Longworth St., which he owns.
Booker’s campaign confirmed that the candidate moved from the Hawthorne house to Longworth a “a few week ago ago” and had changed his voting address before the deadline.
A Longworth neighbor confirmed to The Post that Booker was a resident.
“I saw him leave two weeks ago from next door with his boys,” said Ayifo Aryeetui, 36, of 21 Longworth St., referring to Booker’s security detail.
“He walked right out of the main door with a couple of guys. They looked like police officers. He’s been there for a little while. very friendly man. He waves to everyone.”
The Booker campaign slammed Lonegan for a cheap hit at the 11th hour.
“Cory Booker has lived for 16 years in some of Newark’s toughest neighborhoods, including for seven years on Hawthorne Avenue, fighting every day to make the city a better place for its residents,” a campaign spokesman said.
“Steve Lonegan showed up there for an hour today to pull another laughable, desperate stunt to distract people from his extreme positions, which would make everything that’s wrong with Washington worse.”
Booker on Monday rolled out his big political gun — President Obama — to rev up loyal Democrats to get to the polls for the special election Wednesday as a new poll showed his lead was down to 52-42 percent.
The Monmouth university survey was Booker’s worst showing of the campaign.
In a 90-second video clip, Obama said Booker has “spent his entire life bringing people with different perspectives together, regardless of party, to take on tough challenges.”
“New Jersey . . . has the opportunity to send a message to the entire country about what kind of leadership we expect from our representatives in Congress,” Obama said. “That we’re better off than the shutdown we’ve seen in Washington.”
Monmouth polling director Patrick Murray said Lonegan has effectively raised doubts in some voters’ minds that Booker cares more about creating a national brand for himself than about the state.
“Garden State voters don’t like to feel their support is being taken for granted,” Murray said.
Still, far more voters believe that Booker’s political views match their own than Lonegan’s.