Menendez says Clinton is ahead; Sires predicts 80% of Hispanic vote for New York Senator

There are no plans to get Hillary Clinton back in New Jersey for Super Tuesday, but her campaign made the best of their New Jersey resources to start their final push towards the primary.

With the Barack Obama campaign gaining momentum in the state, Clinton's New Jersey all stars began their statewide bus tour this morning at the Brownstone Diner and Pancake Factor in downtown Jersey City - deep in the territory of Mayor Jerramiah Healy, one of Obama's chief backers. 

The rally was not completely without reminders of who the mayor of the town supports.  Just before the rally began, a white van sat out front with a sign on its side reading "Save America, vote Obama."  But before most of the Clinton-backing politicians arrived, the van drove off and its parking spot was filled by the SUV of the local congressman, Albio Sires.

Just a few months ago, it appeared that Hillary Clinton would be able to take New Jersey in a walk, leading Obama in some polls by over 30 points.  The tough fight here was to take place if Rudy Giuliani won the Republican nomination.  Now Clinton finds herself enmeshed in a scramble for the state's delegates, and whoever wins the nomination will be the favorite to carry this state in the general election. 

To Sen. Bob Menendez, who headlined today's bus tour, a tightening race is not particularly alarming or unusual.  And he cast doubt on the validity of the George Norcross-commissioned poll leaked yesterday that showed Clinton leading Obama by only six points.

"I have no idea what that's about, and to be honest it is contrary to the polls that I have seen, including polls that haven't become public where she is still between 10 and 12 points up," he said. 

Menendez, however, acknowledged that the race was indeed competitive, saying that Obama would likely pull some delegates out of the state but that Clinton would still win overall, along with a strong majority of the delegates.  He downplayed Obama's recent jump in the polls here.

"He had nowhere to go but up.  When you look at the percentages and distance between him and her, there was no way her numbers would continue to go upwards from where she was," he said.

Most of the officials present this morning weren't boarding the bus to drive to its next stop in New Brunswick.  Instead, this morning was mainly a gathering of Hudson County pols, many of whom were Hispanic.  Also attending were Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise, Democratic State Committee Chairman Joe Cryan, County Clerk Barbara Netchert, West New York Mayor Sal Vega and Hudson County Assembly members Vincent Prieto, Caridad Rodriguez and Ruben Ramos. 

Sires said that he expects Clinton to get 80% of the state's Hispanic vote.

"The name is well-known to them - they feel comfortable with her.  She's been on the right side of the issue of immigration," said Sires. 

Prieto said that Clinton's appeal to Hispanic voters also has to do with her support for universal health care.  Personally, he said, having a female president is appealing to him. 

"I grew up with my mom alone.  I can tell you from personal experience that women are natural born leaders and they know how to run things," he said. 

Prieto also said that the fact that the primary is competitive, and that candidates have been visiting New Jersey, justifies the legislature's vote to move the primary up.  

West New York Mayor and former Assemblyman Sal Vega, who was crushed in a bruising primary against now-state Sen. Brian Stack, ventured to guess that Clinton would carry New Jersey by 20% -- a higher number than shown in any recent polls.  But even Vega, who's on the ticket as a delegate for Clinton, has born witness to Obama's appeal with the younger generation.  His 18-year-old college student daughter, he said, plans to vote for Obama. 

DeGise said that, considering the nature of Hudson County politics, the disagreement on presidential picks between Healy and many of the other Hudson County officials has been remarkably civil.

"There's a little disagreement on the local level, but nobody has taken it to the -nth degree, which is really good for us, because usually we kill over everything in Hudson County," he said.  "This is not a death match."