The next New Jersey Senate race has all the trappings of a classic no-holds-barred Garden State brawl: a potential challenger who is a rapidly rising star. An established incumbent on retirement watch. And bad blood between the two sides bubbling up in the press.

And the election is still nearly two years away.

Such is the situation as Democratic Sen. Frank Lautenberg mulls whether to seek another term in the upper chamber. Lautenberg turns 89 next week, leading many -- including Newark Mayor Cory Booker -- to wonder whether Lautenberg will retire.

Booker, also a Democrat, made waves last month when he filed papers to explore a Senate run, passing on the opportunity to challenge popular Republican Gov. Chris Christie this year. And on Sunday, he left the door open to challenging Lautenberg in a Democratic primary.

"I'm not ruling out anything right now, but I think it's premature to be speculative," Booker said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

The 43-year-old mayor, perhaps trying to quell rumors that he is trying to force Lautenberg out of the race, said he has reached out to the senator.

"We even had a trip down here [to Washington] to speak with him, but he wasn't able to speak," Booker said.

Those remarks came after an anonymous Lautenberg aide slammed Booker in a Politico article, calling him "self-absorbed and disrespectful."

"It's shameful that he avoided challenging a Republican just so that he can take on a long-serving, loyal Democrat," the aide said.

A potential Democratic primary, which could also include Rep. Frank Pallone, or a Lautenberg retirement could bring greater urgency to one of Lautenberg's legacy issues: reforming the country's chemical regulations.

Just as he was relentless in his quest to ban smoking from airplanes in the late 1980s, Lautenberg has similarly attacked the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act, or TSCA. He plans to re-introduce his "Safe Chemicals Act," which requires chemical makers to prove their substances are safe before they go on the market, in the new Congress.

The bill advanced out of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee last year but stalled because it lacked Republican support (E&E Daily, Aug. 2, 2012).

Advocates, however, believe they have a better chance of moving the bill this Congress, with the slightly expanded Democratic Senate majority (E&E Daily, Nov. 8, 2012).

Caley Gray, a spokesman for Lautenberg, said the senator will push hard for TSCA reform this Congress -- regardless of the political situation in New Jersey.

"Sen. Lautenberg will remain focused on reforming our broken chemical laws so that we can better protect families and children," Gray said in an email. "Sen. Lautenberg will not be distracted by political games in New Jersey as he keeps fighting to pass the Safe Chemicals Act."

'A huge brand'

Because of Booker's star power, Lautenberg may begin the race in the unusual position of being an incumbent underdog.

A Fairleigh Dickinson University PublicMind poll conducted Jan. 2-6 found that 42 percent of Democratic respondents preferred Booker over Lautenberg, who registered 20 percent. The poll also found that Booker, who was widely praised for his response to Superstorm Sandy, has a higher favorability rating than Lautenberg, 66 percent to 45 percent. The poll surveyed 700 registered voters and had a margin of error of 3.7 points.

Those numbers have led many New Jersey observers to believe Booker will get into the race, whether Lautenberg decides to retire or not.

"I think everyone expects that he will get in the race," said Ben Dworkin of Rider University's Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics. "He's obviously filed to start fundraising; I think it is widely assumed that he will actually go through with it."

Lautenberg would have some advantages, though. For one, he would start the race with $400,000 in his campaign account, and he has a massive personal fortune he could draw from. He also has existing relationships with county Democratic organizations, which are critical in New Jersey politics. Party leaders now are scouting for a challenger to Christie, whose personal popularity has soared after Superstorm Sandy, but they will soon turn their attention to the Senate contest.

Dworkin, however, said Booker may be able to blunt Lautenberg's fundraising advantage and insider support quickly.

"In the end, Cory Booker is a huge brand and can raise tremendous money," he said. "And he will probably bring strength to the ticket."

Further complicating the picture is Pallone, who is sitting on a whopping $3.5 million in his campaign bank account. The 14-term congressman has long wanted to move up and has reportedly expressed interest in the race to state party leaders but has remained mum publicly.

From a public health perspective, Pallone may be viewed as a logical successor to Lautenberg. Pallone has introduced several pieces of legislation aimed at toxics, including measures to limit the amount of arsenic in food and beverages (E&ENews PM, Feb. 23, 2012).

Pallone's office did not respond to a request for comment.