Loretta Weinberg

The latest rumor to come out of Bergen County is that Freeholder Valerie Vainieri Huttle will challenge County Executive Dennis McNerney in the 2006 Democratic primary. The rebel Democrat on Joseph Ferriero's Freeholder Board, Huttle was briefly a candidate for State Senate after Byron Baer announced his resignation. She dropped out in support of Loretta Weinberg; in turn, Weinberg said that if she won the Senate race, she would back Huttle for her Assembly seat. Weinberg fell one vote short of going to the Senate (though the traditionally flaky New Jersey Judiciary could still change that), leaving Huttle without a seat to run for. Earlier this year, Weinberg also floated the possibility to taking on McNerney, although some insiders believed that move was calculated to gain Ferriero's backing in her bid for Assembly Majority Leader. A County Executive primary could become interesting if their is a contest for the Democratic nomination for United States Senator. Hypothetically, if Ferriero gives the Bergen line to Congressman Robert Menendez, Huttle could run on a line with Congressman Rob Andrews. Struggling Bergen County Republicans continue to threaten a challenge in the general election for the post they held from 1986 to 2003 -- Freeholder Lisa Randall, a former Assemblywoman and state Banking and Insurance Commissioner, and former Freeholder Todd Caliguire, who ran for Governor in 2005, are the most frequently mentioned candidates.

Auditions for the part of United States Senator from New Jersey, possibly to be cast in early January by producer Jon Corzine, continued today with Congressman Rob Andrews weighing in against Acting Governor Richard Codey's decision to remove Casino Control Commission Chairwoman Linda Kassekert from her seat on the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA). Democrats say that Corzine prefers that the position of CRDA Executive Director, left open by the resignation of Curstis Bashaw, be left unfilled until the next administration takes over. Last week, Andrews defended Corzine's decision to back Loretta Weinberg for the 37th district Senate seat over the choice of Bergen County Democratic Chairman Joseph Ferriero.

For trivia buffs, Loretta Weinberg's precedent to running for Senate while campaigning for the Assembly: Newark Fire Director John Caufield was the Democratic candidate for State Assembly in the 28th district when Martin Greenberg resigned his Senate seat on August 15, 1979. Caufield became a State Senate candidate and dropped his Assembly bid after Essex County Democrats voted (over former West Ward Councilman Mickey Bottone) to make him the their candidate in a November 1979 special election. Former Freeholder Jimmy Zangari then joined Harry McEnroe on the Democratic ticket for Assembly.

Special Election Convention
Loretta Weinberg 115
Ken Zisa 114

Bergen County Democratic Covention
Loretta Weinberg 116
Ken Zisa 112