Joseph Biden

Ivan Zapien will leave his post as Chief of Staff to U.S. Senator Robert Menendez to accept a position in the private sector.  He will be replaced by Danny O’Brien, who served as Chief of Staff to U.S. Senator Joseph Biden and as Political Director of Biden’s presidential campaign.  O’Brien served as Chief of Staff to U.S.  Senator Robert Torricelli, and was Co-Director of gubernatorial candidate James E. McGreevey’s coordinated campaign in 2001.

Joseph Biden dropped his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination on January 4, but his name will remain on the ballot for the February 5 New Jersey primary.  A spokesman for the state Division of Elections says the difference between Biden’s withdrawal (32 days before the primary) and Robert Torricelli’s exit from the U.S. Senate race (36 days before the 2002 general election) is that in ’02 the Democratic State Committee was willing to pay the cost of changing candidates. 

One potential 2008 presidential candidate came to New Jersey today to attend Jon Corzine's inauguration as Governor: Senator Joseph Biden of Delaware.

Four other Senate colleagues attended: Frank Lautenberg and Robert Torricelli of New Jersey, Christopher Dodd of Connecticut and Paul Sarbanes of Maryland, as well as Governor Anibal Acevedo Vila of Puerto Rico and AFL-CIO President John Sweeney. Six of New Jersey's twelve Congressmen were there -- Rush Holt and Donald Payne were the only Democrats who did not attend, while Rodney Frelinghuysen was the only Republican who did.