Essex Democratic Party insiders dismiss the dangling of a Sheila Oliver U.S. Senate candidacy as the theatrical exercises of a player welded – like it or not, by virtue of her county paycheck and organizational allegiance - to party politics.

But it’s actually more complex.

At the end of 2013, Oliver will have completed four years as speaker of the general assembly, standing on a rostrum of carefully integrated contributing parts; a platform that puts her above the craning necks of 79 other colleagues, each of whom nurses designs on higher office.

While her South Jersey counterpart in legislative leadership, Senate President Steve Sweeney (D-3), chose not to run for the vacant U.S. Senate seat this year and appears focused on going after a third term as senate prez, Oliver’s inability to rule out a U.S. Senate bid arguably either indicates her awareness of a less than stable foundation to her current station, or recognition that her legislative leadership service is nearing an end.

As soon as Gov. Chris Christie made his announcement that Attorney General Jeff Chiesa would be his choice to fill a U.S. Senate vacancy, political insiders pounced on the question of who might succeed Chiesa at the Division of Justice.

The following people quickly surfaced as potential successors to Chiesa…

The late U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) lay in state at the U.S. Capitol as the New Jersey Democratic Party turned on itself with renewed vigor in the wake of his long and much praised public service career.

Gov. Chris Christie had not yet uttered the name of the late Senator Lautenberg’s replacement as phones buzzed anew with the hissed back and forth of a particularly bruising backroom battle for state party committee votes.

The candidate of Democratic gubernatorial contender Barbara Buono stands on one side, and Senate President Steve Sweeney’s stands on the other in the ultimate maritime city mash-up: Assemblyman Jason O’Donnell (D-31) of Bayonne versus veteran state Sen. Ray Lesniak (D-20) of Elizabeth.

At issue are 100 odd state party committee votes. Whoever secures a majority of those votes gets to be state chair.

Hudson County Freeholder Jeffrey Dublin announced today that he would not seek re-election as chair of the Jersey City Democratic Organization and is instead supporting Shawn "Sully" Thomas for the job. 

“In an effort to bring everyone together and move Jersey City forward, I will not seek re-election as chair of the JCDO,” said Dublin (pictured). “With a new mayor and council, it’s time for a new direction with the JCDO. I’m going to work with the new leadership moving forward. Jersey City deserves its elected officials to work together for a better Jersey City.”