Bill Pascrell

Our first list of New Jersey's Best Political Operatives, from March 2000:

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U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) is expected to receive substantial support from New Jersey Congressmen in his bid for House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman

Today, in his first major vote as an incoming member of the U.S. House of Representatives, John Adler is expected to support Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) for Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, according to sources with close ties to Camden County Democrat.  Waxman is challenging longtime chairman John Dingell, an 82-year-old Michigan Democrat who has served in Congress since 1955. 

U.S. representatives Frank Pallone (D-Long Branch) and Bill Pascrell (D-Paterson) teamed up to craft legislation to curtail the power of U.S. attorneys in appointing federal monitors, so it was no surprise when they responded today to Christie’s announcement that he would resign at the end of this month.

The congressmen separately jabbed at the departing U.S. Attorney, with Pallone augmenting Pascrell’s chief complaint with his own worry about what he cited as Christie’s politicization of his office. 

"I remain concerned that Christie has engaged in improper political activities in recent months while still serving as the U.S. Attorney,” said Pallone. “Numerous press reports have highlighted aggressive political outreach by Christie and his political lieutenants in order to develop a campaign infrastructure for a possible run for governor. In an effort to allay these concerns, I hope Christie agrees to release his private and public schedules for the last two years so that the public can make its own judgment regarding any possible political activity by the U.S. Attorney.”

By this time tomorrow, Jose Sandoval will either be one of the New Jersey GOP’s rising stars or a three-time loser.  The real estate developer is a contender in a non-partisan special election for Mayor of Passaic, a job that opened up after Sammy Rivera’s criminal conviction.  If Sandoval wins – and keeps his pledge to end corruption in city government and keep local property taxes in line – he could emerge as a candidate for higher office.  Some Republicans today said that Sandoval could even emerge as a candidate for Lieutenant Governor in 2009, especially if the GOP gubernatorial candidate thinks they can make a play for Hispanic votes in the general election.

In a strongly worded editorial, The (Bergen) Record endorsed blind Rabbi Dennis Shulman in his bid to unseat three-term GOP U.S. Rep. Scott Garrett.

"Scott Garrett is afraid. And he wants voters to be afraid. But the only thing voters should fear is Garrett's reelection to the House of Representatives," the editorial said. "The race in the 5th District is less about who is challenging Garrett and more about what Garrett is challenging. He is challenging the basic tenets of common decency. The high-minded, fiscal conservative has resorted to the lowest form of campaigning. In a post-Sept. 11 world, Garrett is shouting 'terrorist' in a crowded room. The congressman has been running television ads, in addition to sending out a direct-mail campaign piece, that link Shulman to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Garrett wants voters to believe that Shulman, a rabbi, would sell out Israel. It is beyond the pale."

Democrat Frank Lautenberg also won The Record's endorsement in his bid for a fifth term in the U.S. Senate. This is a pickup for Lautenberg: in 2002, The Record endorsed Ted Glick, the Green Party candidate. "Six years ago, we wrote that Frank Lautenberg did not 'have his good stuff' when he reentered politics to run for a fourth term in the U.S. Senate. Six years later, a clearly energized Lautenberg has the right stuff to serve six more years."

It’s not exactly a surprise, but the incumbent Congressmen in safe districts who have statewide aspirations tend to have the largest war chests.

Take, for instance, U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone (D-Long Branch).  His Republican opponent, former Judge Robert McLeod, didn’t even raise the $5,000 that would require him to fill out a report with the Federal Election Commission.  But Pallone is raising and spending money anyway, raking in $302,139 last quarter for a total of $2.18 million this election cycle.  He has $3.36 million on hand – the largest war chest in Congress – and spent $304,000 this quarter.

That money is not being spent against McLeod.  The expenditures listed in the FEC report includes a $189,015 cable television ad buy.  The commercial, which began on Tuesday, is playing all over the state north of Interstate 195, in places well beyond Pallone’s district.

PATERSON - Since North Ward Democratic leader Steve Adubato brought New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson to the Flamboyan on the weekend after the Democratic National Convention, major Latino leaders have to this point hardly shown overwhelming enthusiasm in their endorsement of Sen. Barack Obama (D-Il.).

Hillary Clinton beat Obama in the Democratic Primary by almost ten percent or roughly the equivalent of the Latino vote, which is heavily Democratic in New Jersey and which was energized for Feb. 5th by Sen. Robert Menendez (D-Hoboken), Adubato and U.S. Rep. Albio Sires (D-West New York).

Now heading for the general election in three weeks and mindful - but not fearful - of that primary falloff in Latino numbers for Obama, party leaders held a Spanish and Spanglish-heavy rally here today, in a city that's over 50 percent Latino, in a county where Latinos number 44,849, or well over a fifth of all registered voters in Passaic.

Jose Sandoval

PASSAIC - Mayoral candidate Jose Sandoval stands on the porch of a voter who’s frustrated by gangs, sexual predators, drug dealers, cops and politicians. 

The voter says the cops own local bars and nitpick residents with parking violations if they get in the way of business traffic. If the drug dealers harass the pit-bull that guards his property, he’s convinced the cops will kill his pit-bull. 

It’s frustrating. 

He calls to his son-in-law, who stands dutifully at attention as the man grasps the child’s slender shoulders in two calloused hands. The boy shows no emotion in the face of three strangers who tower over him.

“He’s autistic,” explains the man. “He can’t play outside here. There’s a child molester who lives up the street with three children. His wife’s a crack head. There are gangs in the streets. How can this boy play outside?” 

As for politicians...don’t get him started.

Lautenberg rallies with Bikers for Obama: Politicker photoWEST ORANGE - The leather-clad bikers roared into the parking lot, revving overtime - and they kept coming, motley in motion, mufflers drowning out the after effects of rhetoric, the noise near to deafening - as a senatorial figure with a shock of white hair practically broke from his handlers and strode down among them.

He looked so senatorial, in fact, that - was it actually...

Yes, it was definitely 84-year old U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-Cliffside Park) emerging from the opening of the Obama campaign’s West Orange headquarters and personally welcoming a newly formed Essex County club, Bikers for Obama, which this morning numbered about 200 strong.

U.S. Rep. Donald Payne (D-Newark) joined the senator, jumping aboard a Harley as one of the bikers outfitted Lautenberg with a leather vest.

U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-Paterson) was one of 20 congresspeople who switched their votes from "nay" to "yea" on the revamped Wall Street bailout bill that passed moments ago by a margin of 263-171.