Maggie Moran

Jon Corzine's campaign manager is asking GOP rival Christopher Christie to join in their request for the immediate release of documents requested under the Freedom of Information Act.

"In light of the recent New York Times report that First Assistant United States Attorney Michele Brown may have been assisting the Christie campaign while working in the non-partisan US Attorney's Office ... we are calling on Chris Christie to join with us to demand the Office completely release and comply with our Freedom of Information Act requests," said Maggie Moran, Corzine's campaign manager.

Moran accused Christie of abusing taxpayer funds on "trips around the world and limousine rentals for drives to Atlantic City" and said that those expenses lead to questions of abuse that require the completion of the FOIA requests.

Corzine Campaign Manager Maggie Moran and Belmar Councilman Matt Doherty

BELMAR - Down by double digits over the summer and into September, Gov. Jon Corzine's campaign now has him positioned for a last stretch dogfight with Republican challenger Chris Christie.

Assemblyman Tom Giblin (D-Montclair), former state party chairman, in part credits his tenacious protege, Corzine Campaign Manager Maggie Moran of Belmar, whom he calls Congressional material in the event that U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone (D-Long Branch) someday moves up to become a U.S. Senator.

"Yes, I do think Maggie should be a candidate for Congress," Giblin told PolitickerNJ.com. "She has great popularity here in the district and a great ability to network. There's no one else like her."

Caroline Kennedy, and Democratic State Party Chairman Joe Cryan

BELMAR - Appearing Wednesday night here at the Barclay in support of Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine, Caroline Kennedy reached back to 1980 when her late uncle, Sen. Edward Kennedy, campaigned for the presidency and won the Democratic Primary in New Jersey.

"I remember campaigning with Teddy in Elizabeth, Jersey City and Hoboken, and that victory you gave to him meant the most to him," said Kennedy, recalling other campaign visits throughout the years too, but dwelling on that Jersey win, when incumbent President Jimmy Carter defeated her uncle in 24 of 34 primaries but failed to turn him back here.

When Corzine mentioned how the senator, who died on August 25th after battling brain cancer, stood in the same spot in 2005 to help Corzine in his first run for the governorship, State Party Chairman Joe Cryan choked up at the memory before the governor added, "Nobody looks out for Jon Corzine like this Irishman, Joe Cryan."

There was sustained applause for Cryan and the late Kennedy from this Irish-American crowd that packed the split-level bar and banquet hall a block away from the capital beach for a community hovering at near 16% of the total population in New Jersey, for whom Caroline Kennedy remains a beloved symbol.

Corzine then invoked another Irish politician in the room, former Gov. Brendan Byrne, who occupied the chair of honor between Kennedy on one side, and a stage packed with Irish-American Mayors, including Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy, on the other.

In an email-web video blast to supporters last night, Corzine '09 Campaign Manager Maggie Moran said the campaign's original intention to encamp at Rutgers New Brunswick for a rally with President Barack Obama won't work.

Too many people want to attend next Thursday's event and the capacity on the Voorhees Mall is not there, Moran said. So the new venue will be the PNC Arts Center in Holmdel.

"In recent days, more than 52,000 of you have signed up through our web site to attend the event with President Obama and Gov. Corzine," Moran said in the web video.

The relocation places the president, governor and their minions squarely in the auspices of the very Republican 13th District for a few hours.

Former Star-Ledger reporter Jeff Whelan will direct opposition research for Gov. Jon Corzine's re-election campaign.

Former Star-Ledger reporter Jeff Whelan, who was part of the team that won the Pulitzer Prize for their coverage of Governor James E. McGreevey's resignation, will be the Research Director for Governor Jon Corzine's re-election campaign, according to a senior Corzine aide.  Whelan covered the federal prosecutor's office while Corzine's possible Republican opponent, Christopher Christie, served as U.S. Attorney.

Sean Darcy, Corzine's press secretary, will leave state government to become the campaign's Communications Director.  Darcy worked for Governor Richard Codey and the Department of Community Affairs before joining the front office last year. 

James Gee, who served as McGreevey's Deputy Chief of Staff, will be a senior advisor to the campaign.

Patricia Campos, the Political Director of the New Jersey State Council of UNITE HERE! and a member of the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, will serve as the campaign's latino outreach director. 

Rafi Jafri, who was based in Chicago raising money for Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign, will become Corzine's Finance Director.

Lisa Jackson, Gov. Jon Corzine's Chief of Staff, could be the next EPA Director

Reports that  Lisa Jackson could be headed to Washington as Barack Obama's Environmental Protection Agenecy director means that Gov. Jon Corzine will need to appoint a new Chief of Staff.  Jackson, who spent nearly three years as Corzine's Commissioner of Environmental Protection, replaced Bradley Abelow on Monday. Now she could be gone next month, just as Corzine begins his bid for re-election to a second term. 

Lisa Jackson will become the first African American to serve as Chief of Staff to the Governor of New Jersey.  She is Jon Corzine's third Chief of Staff since he took office in January 2006.  Expect other staff changes over the next few months.  It is anticipated that Deputy Chief of Staff Maggie Moran will leave the front office to manage Corzine's re-election campaign, and insiders say that Deputy Chief of Staff Patti Nelson McGuire and Policy Director Adam Zellner are also expected to leave by January. 

Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Lisa Jackson remains the leading candidate to become Jon Corzine's Chief of Staff when Bradley Abelow leaves.  Speculation of Abelow's departure has persistsed for the last six months, but sources close to the administration say the former Goldman Sachs partner will most certainly be gone by the end of the year.  Democratic insiders say that Maggie Moran, Corzine's politically savvy Deputy Chief of Staff for the last four years (and State Director when he was in the Senate) will leave state government to become manage the Governor's re-election campaign. 

Sen. Robert Menendez (D-Union City): Politicker photo

DENVER - Sen. Robert Menedez (D-Union City) sang a more than passable verison of Toora loora loora at the Pallone-Pascrell pre-Obama speech party at the Celtic Tavern here Thursday night.

The Irish-Americans in the room listened with apparent satisfaction.

Corzine deputy chief of staff Maggie Moran, governor's spokesman Sean Darcy, Pallone chief Jeff Carroll and others all gave Menendez's perfomance a ramrod thumbs-up.

There wasn't a dry mug in the place.

Democrats view Belmar Councilman Matt Doherty as their best chance to pick up a seat in the Monmouth-based eleventh district, where the GOP has not lost since 1989. Doherty ran an aggressive and well-financed campaign for the State Assembly in 2005 against two Republican incumbents, but lost.