Barbara Buono

Reality TV star Randal Pinkett told the Associated Press this morning that he would consider running for Lt. Governor if Gov. Jon Corzine asks him to join the ticket, but said his meeting with the governor has not led to an offer yet.

A group of civic, academic and religious leaders, some very close to Corzine, submitted an op-ed to the Star-Ledger today endorsing Pinkett for the job - and slapping the state's largest newspaper for dismissing Pinkett's candidacy so quickly.  The letter was submitted by former PSE&G CEO Alfred Koeppe and the Rev. M. William Howard, and said it represented the views of former Corzine Deputy Chief of Staff Jeannine LaRue, Rutgers Professors Carl Van Horn, the Rev. Reginald Jackson, former Secretary of State DeForest "Buster" Soaries, Newark leader Clement Price, and Richard Roper, the Planning Director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Conventional wisdom is that Pinkett would not speak publicly about his interest in running for LG until after Corzine made his pick.  But maybe the selection process is one big reality show, and Pinkett will use the forum to show Democratic leaders what kind of candidate he would make.  If he takes that kind of gamble and wins, it might give Corzine the cover to select him.

State Sens. Barbara Buono, left, and Loretta Weinberg are considered the leading candidates for the Democratic nomination for Lt. Governor

The race for the Democratic nomination for Lt. Governor appears to be exactly where it was more than a month ago - a contest between State Senators Loretta Weinberg (D-Teaneck) and Barbara Buono (D-Metuchen).  Gov. Jon Corzine's personal first choice - vetoed by party leaders and a Star-Ledger editorial - was Reality TV star Randal Pinkett.  Pinkett has scheduled a news conference for later this morning; he is expected to say that he is not ready to launch a political career.  The deadline to pick an LG candidate is July 27.

For a while, it looked as though the governor was actively seeking an African American running mate.  But the trial balloon launched on behalf of Pinkett, who was hired as Donald Trump's apprentice a few years ago, failed miserably.

Now Corzine, sources say, is torn between Weinberg, a close friend and ally (Weinberg was an early supporter and Co-Chair of Corzine's first campaign in 2000) and Buono, who now has the support of anti-Weinberg Democrats.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Christopher Christie and his new running mate, Kim Guadagno, will campaign together today in Cherry Hill, Hamilton, Toms River, and Hillsborough.  

Christie announced yesterday that Guadagno, the Monmouth County Sheriff, would run on his ticket for Lt. Governor.  He made his announcement on the Internet, and then the two campaigned together in Asbury Park, Woodbridge and Garfield.

Gov. Jon Corzine, the Democratic incumbent, continues to mull his selection of a running mate.  The deadline is six days away.  State Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Teaneck) is now the front runner, with State Sen. Barbara Buono (D-Metuchen), Passaic County Freeholder Tahesha Way, and Superior Court Judge Joseph Charles continuing to receive some consideration.  Last week's front runner, Reality TV star Randal Pinkett, has reportedly fallen from the top of the list.

Essex County Executive Joe DiVincenzo, center, greets state Sen. Joe Kyrillos (R-Middletown), now chair of the Christie campaign, with Steve Adubato, Jr., left, and Christie confidante Bill Palatucci at last year's North Ward Center party at the Breakers.

Essex County Executive Joe DiVincenzo officially scratched himself off a shortening - and then lengthening - and now indeterminate lieutenant governor gossip sheet tonight, saying he wouldn't take the job if Gov. Jon Corzine offered. 

"I'm going to be running for Essex County Executive next year," said DiVincenzo, who is seeking his third term. "The more successful I am as county executive, people are interested in me wanting to run for lieutenant governor. But I'm not interested.

"I'm running for re-election," he added. "Jon knows I'm going to work very hard to get him re-elected."

DiVincenzo said he heard the LG rumors kick in about him on Friday, and he dismissed them. Today, The Inside Edge wrote a piece acknowledging the backchatter.

"I never talked to the governor, he never called me about this, I just want to put the rumor to rest," DiVincenzo told PolitickerNJ.com.

Corzine names panel to review LG candidates? Hopefully, this is a joke.

From Democratic leaders, Gov. Jon Corzine continues to face opposition to his outside-the-box consideration of Reality TV star Randal Pinkett for Lt. Governor, whose fledgling candidacy is quickly losing steam.  Some say the new "it girl" is first-term Passaic County Freeholder Tahesha Way, a 37-year-old lawyer and college professor who is married to a former NFL player.  Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Barbara Buono (D-Metuchen) sent out vibes yesterday that she will not get the nod, leaving some to believe that it's either going to be State Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Teaneck) or whatever candidate du jour the anti-Weinberg forces are able to sell to Corzine.

So far, there is only one certainty in the race to become Corzine's running mate: the LG selection process - including an uncomfortable public search for an African American candidate -- has become a bit too comical for the comfort of Corzine supporters.  Democrats are giving the impression of desperation; even East Orange Mayor Robert Bowser received a call asking if LG was something he would consider.  He said no.   At this point, new names are being treated with some trepidation.  A trial balloon for former Superior Court Judge Theodore Davis, the state appointed Chief Operating Officer of the City of Camden and a Republican, was viewed as too late to be serious.  Talk of Seton Hall Law Professor Mark Alexander, who ran Obama's New Jersey campaign in the primary, had a shelf life of just a few minutes.

Combine the LG fiasco (which is mostly limited to insiders; real voters don't know the story yet) with independent polls that continue to show Republican Christopher Christie, ahead and you have a bunch of Democrats legitimately worried that Corzine could lose.  Some of these Democrats may not like Corzine, but they don't want to see the governorship fall to the GOP. 

Alfred Doblin, the editorial page editor for The Record, wrote a column today dismissing Pinkett as a horrible choice and suggesting that Corzine pick Weinberg:

Newark West Ward Councilman Ronald C. Rice campaigns for Barack Obama in 2007.

NEWARK - President Barack Obama lands on a stage today against the backdrop of a party frantically trying to figure out what to do about Gov. Jon Corzine's apparent number one choice for lieutenant governor, an African-American reality TV star with degrees from MIT, Oxford University and Rutgers University and CEO of a successful technology consulting firm in Newark who nonetheless has never held public office.

Corzine confidantes kept kicking other names around on Wednesday even as Pinkett's supporters argued in favor of his selection.

"The establishment is always wary of change and something new," said state Sen. Ray Lesniak (D-Elizabeth). "The establishment lined up behind Hillary, not Obama, even the black establishment. They also backed Dick Leone over another Rhodes scholar who did well, Bill Bradley."

By contrast, when state Sen. Ronald L. Rice (D-Newark) peeked at Pinkett's resume - heavy on corporate cred and thin on grassroots  - he received an early negative vibe.

His son, Newark West Ward Councilman Ronald C. Rice, a Joshua generation leader who was one of Obama's first impassioned  supporters among New Jersey elected officials, celebrates Pinkett's decision to open his firm in Newark where he participates in a business incubator program with the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT).

Passaic County Freeholder Director Tahesha Way is coy on whether she’s under consideration for lieutenant governor, but it’s clear that someone has raised the prospect with her. 

“I’m very flattered. If there would be any possibility, I would discuss it with my Democratic chairman, John Currie, and my colleagues on the freeholder board,” she said.

Way, a Wayne resident who was appointed to the freeholder board in 2006, is an associate at the law firm of Steven A. Varano in Totowa.  She grew up in the Bronx with parents who worked for the New York City Transit Authority before attending Brown University for undergrad and the University of Virginia for law school, according to her freeholder bio.  She has three young children 

Way said that her initial statement answered the question of whether she had received a questionnaire from Gov. Corzine, who has distributed questionaires to other potential runningmates.

“Right now my efforts are on helping reelect Gov. Corzine and electing Democrat throughout Passaic County. Moreover, my focus continues to be on serving the residents of Passaic County,” she said.

Possible Democratic candidates for Lt. Governor: Passaic County Freeholder Tahesha Way and Reality TV star Randal Pinkett

As some establishment Democrats voice resistance to Reality TV star Randal Pinkett as their candidate for Lt. Governor, there is some speculation that Gov. Jon Corzine's search for an African American running mate includes Passaic County Freeholder Tahesha Way, the wife of former Giants fullback Charles Way.

Corzine appears to be having a hard time finding an LG candidate who will satisfy the multitude of factions within the New Jersey Democratic Party.  Two State Senators under consideration, Barbara Buono (D-Metuchen) and Loretta Weinberg (D-Teaneck), have substantial intra-party opposition.  Corzine, sources say, has been actively shopping for a Black LG candidate.  He was reportedly turned down - several times - by his first choice, Newark Mayor Cory Booker.  Other potential candidates, including Assembly Majority Leader Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Ewing) and Trenton Mayor Douglas Palmer, were apparently non-starters.   Trial balloons for Montclair State University President Susan Cole and New Jersey Chamber of Commerce President Joan Verplanck did not go well.  Corzine emissaries even approached former State Sen. Joseph Charles (D-Jersey City), who said he was not interested and hoped to remain as a Superior Court Judge.

While it appeared yesterday that the Pinkett nomination is nearly done, it now looks as though Corzine is having second thoughts.  Since the Governor will not announce his pick before President Barack Obama campaigns for him in Holmdel tomorrow, it is looking more likely that Corzine will take at least another week to choose a running mate.

Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Barbara Buono (D-Metuchen), widely considered to be running third in the race for the Democratic nomination for Lieutenant Governor, plans to cut short a family vacation in Cape May to attended Gov. Jon Corzine's campaign rally with President Barack Obama. There had been a little bit of buzz today that Buono's vacation this week was a sign that she believed Corzine would not pick her as his running mate.  There continues to be heavy speculation that the Governor has settled on Reality TV star Randal Pinkett, with State Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Teaneck) running second.

Phil Alagia

Attempting to dial back some early worry over rookie politician/TV star Randal Pinkett, Corzine Campaign Political Director Phil Alagia praised the prospective candidate for lieutenant governor as a smart and likable public figure and an excellent communicator.

"There are a lot of excellent choices out there," said the veteran 41-year old political operative, who serves as chief of staff to Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo. "I think Randal's a great guy and I would be excited and honored to campaign with him."

According to sources, Pinkett's at the top of a Corzine short list that includes state Sen. Barbara Buono (D-Metuchen) and state Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Teaneck).

Alagia first met Pinkett at the home of Secretary of State Nina Mitchell Wells just before Jon Corzine's first campaign for governor.