Party switchers

New Jersey voters traditionally have a distaste for party switchers at the state legislative level, not returning recent switchers to Trenton. Party switches occur almost always as a means of extending a political career, rather than some ideological shifts.

State Senator Raymond Zane, elected as a Democrat in 1973, fell out of favor with Gloucester County Democrats and became a Republican in 2001 to avoid a bruising primary with Stephen Sweeney. He lost his bid for a ninth term to Sweeney that year.

In 1985, Republican Assemblyman Jorge Rod became a Democrat and Democratic Assemblywoman Angela Perun became a Republican -- both after losing support of their county party organizations for a third term; Rod and Perun ran under their new party banner and lost.

Three Democratic legislators switched parties before he 2003 campaign: Matthew Ahearn, a Bergen County Democrat elected in 2001, joined the Green Party (after Bergen County Democratic Chairman Joseph Ferriero made it clear he would not back his re-election), and lost his bid for a second term as an Independent; Rafael Fraguella, a former Union City Commissioner who succeeded Rudy Garcia in the Assembly 2001, became a Republican when Hudson Democrats dropped him and ran unsucecssfully against Senate Majority Leader Bernard Kenny; and Arline Friscia, elected to the Assembly in 1999, ran for re-election as a Republican after losing the Democratic primary to Joseph Vas.

At least one more party switcher will run for the Assembly in 2007 -- and he would be a likely winner, if he wins his primary.  Ralph Caputo, then 29, was first elected to the State Assembly as a Republican in 1967 (one of his running mates in the countywide election was future Governor Thomas Kean) and served four years.  He made a political comeback in 2002 when he ran as a Democrat for Essex County Freeholder and defeated a GOP incumbent.  He is now running on a ticket supported by Newark Mayor Cory Booker against three Democratic incumbents in the 28th district.