Obama state director choice comes down to Decheine, Mueller and Chicago

In picking a state director to run operations in New Jersey, the Obama Campaign in Chicago will choose between a congressman's chief of staff, and a labor chief friendly with the governor's administration, according to Democratic Party sources.

For several days, internal talks have gone on between Gov. Jon Corzine, members of the State Committee, Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), and members of the Congressional delegation about a same-page choice for State Director of the Obama Campaign.

It's come down to two names.

In the running are Bob Decheine, chief of staff to U.S. Rep. Steve Rothman (D-9); and Patricia A. Mueller, chief of staff, New Jersey Regional Council of Carpenters.

The governor scheduled a Wednesday evening conference call to bring all parties up to date as New Jersey makes the hand-off to Illinois, but that call was postponed.

A Northeast Regional co-chair for the Obama campaign who was the only member of New Jersey's congressional delegation to endorse Obama during the Democratic Primary, Rothman has pressed vigorously in the last few weeks for his chief to get the job.

But the governor didn't exactly rush to buttress Rothman's first pick.

Labor chief Mueller interviewed with the governor's office for the position, and sources say she impressed Corzine. The labor leader has close ties and a solid working relationship with Corzine's deputy chief of staff, Maggie Moran.

At least two other politicos interviewed for the state director role.

Although Corzine endorsed Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) for president and campaigned hard on her behalf, his connection to Obama goes back to when Corzine was chair of the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee.

The future governor specifically targeted Obama's U.S. Senate race in Illinois.

In the Mueller-Decheine head to head, sources say the decision about who runs New Jersey ops for the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee now rests with Obama and his Chicago campaign cadre.