lt. governor

If Assembly Minority Whip Jon Bramnick gets picked as the Republican candidate for Lt. Governor this June, he would have to drop his bid for re-election to the State Assembly.  That would create a special convention for his 21st district Assembly seat so that Republican County Committee members from the Union, Morris, Somerset and Essex towns in his district could pick a new legislative candidate.

In taverns, Elks Lodges and country clubs, politicos have paired the name of nearly every Republican elected official in the state with that of former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie as a potential running mate.

But in the event he wins the Republican Party nomination this year, the following are the names of some Republican politicians who have been mentioned most often as a complement to Christie.

Take a look at the short list and the odds of the possible picks.

Bergen County Clerk Kathleen Donovan is expected to receive some consideration as a candidate for Lieutenant Governor next year if Christopher Christie is the gubernatorial candidate, according to GOP leaders with ties to the U.S. Attorney.  Donovan bucked the Democratic tide in to win re-election to a fifth term, defeating Democrat Diane Testa by a 51%-49 margin.  Donovan ran six percentage points ahead of John McCain and eight percentage points ahead of GOP U.S. Senate candidate Dick Zimmer. She outpolled U.S. Rep. Scott Garrett in each of his Bergen County municipalities.

Three women widely viewed as rising stars in the Democratic Party are likely to receive consideration for Lt. Governor next year when Jon Corzine picks a running mate: State Sens. Dana Redd (D-Camden) and Teresa Ruiz (D-Newark), and Perth Amboy Mayor Wilda Diaz. 

Voters don’t care if Gov. Jon Corzine picks a woman or a minority for Lt. Governor if he runs again next year, according to a Zogby International poll of likely voters commissioned by Garden State Equality.  Just 31% says a ticket balanced by gender or race is important, while 65% say it is unimportant. 

Among women voters, 58% say they don’t care if Corzine picks a woman running mate, while 37% say they do. 

Racial balance is more important to African American voters that Latinos: 66% of African Americans consider it important, while just 31% of Latino voters do. 

Assemblywoman Alison McHose is mentioned as a possible GOP candidate for Lt. Governor in 2009: Getty Images Photo
Among the many names bandied about as potential Republican gubernatorial running mates next year is Assemblywoman Allison Littell McHose (R-Franklin), who represents the third generation of a Sussex County political dynasty.

Just before speaking at a news conference attacking the Clean Elections program that she took part in last year, McHose indicated that she was open to the possibility of running for the newly created position of Lieutenant Governor.

“I’d be flattered and would consider it. I’m not actively seeking to promote myself like some on the other side,” she said. “I’m a humble politician.”

Is Jon Corzine following the Barack Obama model and auditioning candidates for Lieutenant Governor by taking a road trip?  The Governor, who says he’ll seek re-election next year, is leaving today for Fort Bliss in Texas, where he’ll lead a bi-partisan delegation to visit with New Jersey National Guard troops.  Four of the five Democrats joining him have been mentioned as possible candidates for Lt. Governor: Newark Mayor Cory Booker, Senate Majority Leader Steve Sweeney, Assembly Majority Leader Bonnie Watson Coleman, and State Sen. Teresa Ruiz.   

There’s even a Chuck Hagel-type on the trip: former Republican Congressman Bob Franks, who nearly beat Corzine in the 2000 U.S. Senate race but has now become a close friend and sometime policy advisor.

Some Democratic insiders suggest that the hyper local political problems that seem to be plaguing Newark Mayor Cory Booker might help the nationally prominent rising star more interested in running for Lieutenant Governor in 2009.  Booker, Democrats say, would make a very attractive running mate for Jon Corzine, but could have trouble winning re-election to a second term as Mayor in 2010.

One rumor making the rounds for the second time this year: that Governor Jon Corzine, who has had a clear case of George Norcross-envy since the 2000 U.S. Senate race and has been increasingly eager to please the South Jersey Democratic leader, will pick Rob Andrews as his candidate for Lt. Governor next year. 

He's not one of the legislative black caucus’s “Nubian queens” that state Sen. Ronald Rice referred to last week, but Trenton Mayor Doug Palmer is said to be highly interested in becoming the state’s first Lieutenant Governor in 2010.

Standing at the poll watch party for Hillary Clinton last night in Edison, Palmer was careful with his choice of words when asked whether he was interested in the position.