Jerramiah Healy

The most vulnerable member of the New Jersey congressional delegation in 2008 is Donald Payne, a ten-term Democrat from Newark who won 97% of the vote in his last contested race. The 72-year-old Congressman has found himself on the wrong side of an Essex County Democratic political battle, and continues to anger some party leaders by the independent candidacy of his brother, Assemblyman William Payne, 74, in a race for the State Senate.

Payne's nephew, Craig Stanley, was defeated in a Democratic primary for State Assembly last week in a district where he was a six-term incumbent. Two other Payne-endorsed legislators, Oadline Truitt and Wilfredo Caraballo, also lost re-election in the primary. But another Payne candidate, State Sen. Ronald Rice, narrowly held his seat against a challenge from the political organization of Newark Mayor Cory Booker.

The Hudson County Democratic Organization (HCDO) anticipates electing Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy to the office of chairman at its post-primary election powwow Wednesday.

The question is what will Assemblyman (and Union City Mayor) Brian Stack do to avoid proving wrong the old "No man is an island" tag?

Brian P. Stack won 77% of the vote in his bid to succeed Bernard Kenny in the State Senate
Three Hudson County mayors won last night, one of them posthumously.

And in the minds of voters, the legacy of the late Jersey City Mayor Glenn Cunningham abides, with his wife triumphing in her district 31 State Senate contest.

Sen. Barack Obama told a crowd of AFL-CIO workers at the War Memorial Monday that the United States must rewrite its trade policies to benefit workers worldwide, enforce existing trade laws in part to diminish the power of China, solve the country’s healthcare crisis, which Obama says is draining American resources, and stop rewarding with tax cuts those American businesses that ship jobs overseas.

When it comes to health insurance, "I don’t mind insurance companies and drug companies in on the negotiating," Obama said. "I just don’t want them occupying every chair."

Running for the Democratic Party nomination for president, Obama made his first swing through New Jersey Monday where he picked up the endorsementa of Newark Mayor Cory Booker and Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy, attended private fund-raisers in Jersey City, Montclair and Princeton, and burnished his alliance with labor.

The Mayors of the two largest cities in New Jersey have endorsed Barack Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination.  Cory Booker of Newark and Jerramiah Healy announced their support of the Illinois Senator today.  Edison Mayor Jun Choi also attended an Obama event.