Lautenberg was born to run ... away from his fundraising plan

It might seem like a good idea to be connected with the "Boss" when you're campaigning in New Jersey to keep your U.S. Senate seat.

But when Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) scrapped plans this week to raise funds by selling tickets for a Bruce Springsteen concert to campaign donors, his Republican opponent may have scored more points with fans of the rock legend.

"Lautenberg has apparently been BLINDED BY THE LIGHT and canceled his fundraiser," GOP rival Dick Zimmer said today in a statement peppered with titles of Springsteen favorites. "His fat-cat contributors will have to be DANCING IN THE DARK with SAD EYES as they recall the GLORY DAYS of free tickets and backroom deals. As for me ... NO SURRENDER.”

The Lautenberg campaign had requested 40 VIP tickets from the sports authority that runs Giants' Stadium for a Springsteen concert July 27. Campaign officials planned to resell the tickets, which were bought for $107 each, for $1,500 each.

But The Record of Hackensack, N.J., reported Sunday that sports authority officials became concerned that the fundraising plan might be viewed as an inappropriate back-door campaign subsidy. The result: Lautenberg did an "E Street Shuffle," and dropped the idea.

-- Noam Levey