Joseph Cryan

Political problems for the state's largest teacher's union continue to mount.  After going all out for Gov. Jon Corzine in the recent election, the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) knows they have a potential problem with voucher-backing charter school enthusiast Gov.-elect Christopher Christie.  And in the Senate, it looks like Teresa Ruiz (D-Newark), a protégé of Newark political leader Stephen Adubato, might replace Shirley Turner (D-Lawrence) as chairman of the Education Committee.  A fair assumption is that Ruiz will share Adubato's fervent support for charter schools. 

Turner could wind up a casualty of the contest for Senate President; she backed incumbent Richard Codey (D-Roseland), while Ruiz supported the likely winner, Stephen Sweeney (D-West Deptford).

Christie's problem with the NJEA might be more than just politics - he appears to have different views on how to fix New Jersey's public school.  And he might have the upper hand, especially with a potential political ally running the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Sheila Oliver (D-East Orange), who is expected to become the next Assembly Speaker, has not yet indicated who she will pick as the new Assembly Education Committee Chairman.  The incumbent, Joseph Cryan (D-Union), a strong NJEA supporter, is expected to vacate the post to become Majority Leader.  Oliver also has strong ties to Adubato - she is the Assistant Essex County Administrator (and Ruiz is the Deputy Chief of Staff to the Essex County Executive) - but statehouse observers say that Oliver is likely to pick a new chairman who would be supportive of the teachers union, a key player in the state's Democratic base vote.

Reportedly not under consideration to head the Education Committee is Joan Voss (D-Fort Lee), who spent forty years as a public school teacher and is now vice chair of the panel.  Voss, Democratic leaders say, lacks intellectual heft to take on the post.  Instead, Democrats could turn to Patrick Diegnan (D-South Plainfield), a Cryan/Oliver ally and the current chairman of the Assembly Higher Education Committee.  If Diegnan turns it down - the Middlesex County Democrat might want to stay where he is, considering the importance of Rutgers University to his district, the leadership might go with the highly-regarded Mila Jasey (D-South Orange), a former school board member but an ally of outgoing Senate President Richard Codey (D-Roseland), or Paul Moriarty (D-Washington Twp.), a member of South Jersey Democratic leader George Norcross' political organization.

MADISON - Gov. Jon Corzine's campaign thought they were well positioned to win re-election against former U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie leading right up to Election Day, Democratic State Chairman Joseph Cryan (D-Union) said today at a joint event with his Republican counterpart, Jay Webber (R-Morris Plains) at Fairleigh Dickinson University.

"Candidly, we thought we were going to win. We had numbers that showed on the Sunday before the election that we were in a position to win," said Cryan who, along with Webber, is also an assemblyman. 

Cryan made the point in response to a question from FDU pollster and political science professor Peter Woolley about whether the Democratic Party abandoned Corzine.  Although there were clearly base problems and the unaffiliated vote went heavily for Christie, the loss did not result in part from party leaders scuttling the campaign, as some have suggested after looking at the anemic turnout from the state's Democrat-rich urban voting districts. 

"We ran a campaign that appealed to the Democratic core in the hopes it would bring folks forward," Cryan said.  "Certainly we tried very hard to inspire the new Obama voter, who clearly needed more inspiration than we could provide." 

Cryan said that the campaign had trouble cutting through with their message.  Corzine had provided real tax relief, he argued, but it didn't live up to the campaign promise of "40 in 4" he made in 2005.

"You might have heard us mention more than once that we had the most property tax relief in history. It's not a lie -- we did. But nobody believed it," he said.

Webber argued that Corzine's appeal to their base on mammograms, abortion and guns did not work because the election above all a referendum on Corzine's four years in office.

"There's no one element of the campaign or election season that this is the reason why or that is the reason why. It is both a referendum on the incumbent and I think a real vote of confidence for our new governor," he said.

Webber said that Christie's victory showed that conservatives can win in traditionally Democratic states like New Jersey, though he stopped short of saying that it signifies a conservative resurgence in blue states. 

Christie, Webber said, did not run away from questions on hot button social issues.  But he didn't emphasize them. 

"You have your conservative principles and beliefs. You don't back away from them or try to explain them - you defend them when you have to.  But you talk about those kitchen table issues that voters care about," he said. "Certainly, Chris demonstrated that pro-life, pro-traditional family, pro-voucher, pro-tax cut Republican can win in New Jersey."

DNC CHAIR TIM KAINE JOINS CORZINE, WEINBERG
AND NEW JERSEY DEMOCRATS ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL

 
(HARRISON) – Joining a wave of high-profile Democrats who have made appearances in the state in recent weeks, Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Tim Kaine joined Governor Jon S. Corzine, his running mate Loretta Weinberg and New Jersey Democrats on the campaign trail this evening. Kaine made several stops where he praised the governor’s record fighting on behalf of New Jersey families and encouraged supporters to make every effort to “get out the vote” on Election Day.

CRYAN: NEW Q-POLL PROOF THAT NEW JERSEYANS
WANT CORZINE TO CONTINUE FIGHTING
FOR WHAT MATTERS MOST

(TRENTON) – Democratic State Committee Chairman Joseph Cryan issued the following statement this morning as the latest Quinnipiac University Poll shows Governor Corzine widening his lead over challenger Chris Christie to five points:

PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON RETURNS TO NEW JERSEY TO HEADLINE RALLY & FUNDRAISER TO SUPPORT CORZINE/WEINBERG, DEMOCRATS

(LITTLE FALLS) – President Bill Clinton returned to New Jersey today to headline a rally in Little Falls and a fundraiser in West Orange one week after headlining two rallies that drew thousands of New Jersey residents in Collingswood and New Brunswick to build support for the re-election of Governor Jon S. Corzine, his running-mate Senator Loretta Weinberg and Democrats across the state.

PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON CAMPAIGNS IN SUPPORT
OF CORZINE/WEINBERG & DEMOCRATS ACROSS NJ

42nd President of the United States Headlined Rallies
in Collingswood & New Brunswick To Energize Voters
Prior to Election Day

(NEW BRUNSWICK) – President Bill Clinton, the 42nd President of the United States of America, today headlined two rallies in support of Governor Jon S. Corzine, Lieutenant Governor candidate Loretta Weinberg and Democrats running for office throughout New Jersey.

CRYAN: LATEST POLL SHOWS PEOPLE RECOGNIZE CORZINE FIGHTS FOR WHAT MATTERS TO NEW JERSEY FAMILIES

New York Times Poll Shows More & More Residents are Realizing Christie is Wrong When it Matters Most; Poll plus Surge of Activity from National Democrats in State Prove Corzine on Track to Victory

(TRENTON) - New Jersey Democratic State Committee Chairman Joseph Cryan today touted a new poll commissioned by the New York Times showing Governor Jon S. Corzine with a three-point lead over Republican challenger Chris Christie as proof that residents state-wide are recognizing Corzine fights for what matters most to New Jersey families.

Democratic State Chairman Joseph Cryan says that the Quinnipiac poll released this morning showing Governor Corzine and Republican Chris Christie in a statistical dead heat reinforces what his party has been hearing.

“It says what we know: it’s a close election and we’re on the move.  It also says what else we know, which is that folks were introduced to Chris Christie and said no thanks,” said Cryan (D-Union), who is also an assemblyman.

The poll indicates, however, that the 14% independent Christopher Daggett gets is soft support.  And of those who picked Daggett, 40% picked Christie as their second choice, while 33% chose Corzine.  

Cryan, however, is not afraid that the Daggett voters will swing to Christie on election day.

“Folks who are engaged with Daggett are looking at him at a different level than they are with Christie. I don’t think that someone’s going to walk in on Election Day and say ‘oh no, let me vote for Christie,’” he said.

CHRISTIE EMBRACES ROMNEY, CONTINUES TO SHOW
HE IS WRONG WHEN IT MATTERS MOST

 
(TRENTON) - Today, Republican gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie is welcoming former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney to New Jersey, openly embracing a right-wing conservative who opposes stem cell research, vowed to veto an expansion of children’s health care, and called for the removal of health care coverage mandates in Massachusetts.

The good news is that members of the New Jersey General Assembly are apparently not beholden to their campaign contributors.

Assembly Majority Leader Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Ewing), who appears to be the loser in the race for Speaker, has contributed $107,000 from her campaign account to Democratic Assembly candidates.  Sheila Oliver (D-East Orange), the apparent winner in the Speaker sweepstakes, gave a total of $70 to Democratic Assembly candidates. 

Watson Coleman sent five contributions of $16,400 each to: Matthew Milam (D-Vineland) and Nelson Albano (D-Vineland) in District 1; Paul Moriarty (D-Washington Twp.) and Bill Collins in District 4; Linda Greenstein (D-Plainsboro) and Wayne DeAngelo (D-Hamilton) in District 14; Frederick Scalera (D-Nutley) and Gary Schaer (D-Passaic) in District 36; and Joan Voss (D-Fort Lee) and Connie Wagner (D-Paramus) in District 38.

Oliver sent $70 to Elease Evans (D-Paterson) in District 35.