No, Sam Thompson said in a phone interview Monday morning, he is not abandoning the Republican Party.

“My party leadership is abandoning me.”

No matter how you look at it, the bottom line is clear: Thompson, who has been in the state Legislature since the late 1990s and the Senate for about a decade as a Republican, is about to become a Democrat.

The 87-year-old Thompson said he was prepared to officially make the switch today, but he ran into an unforeseen obstacle – Abe Lincoln. The 16th president’s birthday was Sunday, Feb. 12, but many government offices close today in observance of the holiday.

Things will be open tomorrow and Thompson plans to visit the appropriate office early, as he says, “with bells on.”

Bell ringing aside, this is big news in the world of politics.

Republicans are hoping they can take control of the Senate this fall, so the last thing they need is uncertainty in a GOP-leaning district.  Thompson’s switch will give the Dems a 25-15 advantage in the Senate, meaning the GOP needs to net six seats to take control. That’s going to be a huge challenge.

Thompson’s LD-12 ranges over parts of four counties – Burlington, Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean in central Jersey. Thompson won the district two years ago by almost 2-1. Party registration here under the new map favors Republicans by about 9,000.

An immediate beneficiary of Thompson’s switch is Owen Henry, the mayor of Old Bridge, who previously announced a primary challenge to Thompson.

Henry, like countless others, said he was watching the Super Bowl Sunday night when he began getting a lot of messages on his phone.

“I thought I won a pool,” he said Monday morning.

But no, people were telling him Thompson was switching parties – and by extension – dropping out of the primary. This shows two things – the party move was big news and that not even the Super Bowl can stop the flow of politics.

At any rate, Henry stated the obvious, this is good for him.

“Primaries cost money,” he noted.

So can general elections, but at least in the fall, you have the party apparatus to help you.

Thompson, as noted, has represented the region for about 25 years, which gives him a certain amount of name recognition. One says “certain,” because let’s face it, state legislators are not universally known by the general voter. That makes party affiliation important, which could work in Henry’s favor.

Thompson, of course, is not convinced of that.

Constituent service is key, he said, Thompson estimated that during his years in Trenton his office has responded to about 35,000 requests for assistance.

“When you personally do things for people, they remember,” he said. “And so do their families.”

He wants to keep helping people.

In that vein, the veteran lawmaker challenged Henry to a mental acuity test and to a physical fitness – a 20-mile hike.  “I’ll give him four weeks to prepare for the hike,” Thompson added.

For his part, Governor Phil Murphy today welcomed Thompson of the 12th Legislative District to the Democratic Party. Senator Thompson has represented parts of Monmouth, Burlington, Ocean, and Middlesex Counties in the New Jersey Legislature since 1998 and is one of its longest serving members:

“A former U.S. Army veteran and research chemist who served for over 20 years in the New Jersey Department of Health, Senator Thompson has built a reputation as a tireless public servant who prioritizes constituent services,” said Murphy. “Among his achievements, he helped create both NJ Kid Care and NJ Family Care to provide health insurance for working families and helped double income eligibility levels for the Senior Freeze property tax relief program.

“The Democratic Party has always been a big tent party and I welcome Senator Thompson to our ranks. There is a process in each of the counties the Senator represents by which a candidate must secure the nomination of his or her county party. I wish the Senator luck as he begins that process and know he will continue serving his constituents admirably as he enters this new chapter of public service.”