Rose McConnell

The Courier News today endorsed two Democratic incumbents in the 22nd district, but pointedly passed on recommending the re-election of Linda Stender to the State Assembly.  Stender, a three-term incumbent, nearly ousted Congressman Michael Ferguson last year and is running again in 2008.

Republicans in Union and Somerset County are doing a great job: after failing to find a candidate to run against State Senator Nicholas Scutari, who received a federal subpoena earlier this year as part of the state budget probe, the GOP got former Somerset County Freeholder Rose McConnell to run as a write-in candidate.  In a district that Republicans got 45% of the vote in the last Senate election, McConnell and her Assembly running mates have raised $100 – and they have $77 cash on hand.

Several months ago, there were suggestions that Genovese might get support -- mostly financial -- from a group of key Democratic insiders who wanted to use the 21st district State Senate campaign as a form of retaliation for Kean's U.S. Senate race against Robert Menendez last year. But Democrats now concede that Genovese has turned out to be a weak and largely unfocused candidate with little chance to score an upset in a legislative district where Menendez won 46% one year ago. Genovese's failure to mount an effective campaign has allowed Kean to spend money in other districts. Kean will likely be re-elected, probably by his usual margins, and seems well positioned to become the next Senate Minority Leader.

Mildred Barry Hughes, a Democrat from Union County, was the first woman to win election to the New Jersey State Senate when she won in 1965. She previously served three terms in the State Assembly.: Rutgers University Libraries PhotoIt's a minor correction at best: speaking at a meeting of Women Advocating for Good Governmen (WAGG), a division of the Women's Political Caucus of New Jersey, State Senator Diane Allen she was the eighth woman in New Jersey history to be sworn in to the State Senate. "It still upsets me," Allen said. "Hundreds of years -- eight women."

But actually, Allen was the ninth woman to serve in the State Senate. She was preceeded by Mildred Barry Hughes (D-Union) in 1966, Jerry English (D-Union) in 1971, Wynona Lipman (D-Essex) in 1972, Anne Martindell (D-Mercer) and Alene Ammond (D-Camden) in 1974, Leanna Brown (R-Morris) and Catherine Costa (D-Burlington) in 1984, and Martha Bark (R-Burlington) in 1997. Allen and Shirley Turner (D-Mercer) took office in January 1998.

If you blinked, you probably missed the brief glimmer of hope for Republicans in the 22nd district, where federal prosecutors served incumbent State Senator Nicholas Scutari with a subpoena as part of the same Christmas tree budget probe that involves the Senator from Bergen County, Joseph Coniglio.

Republicans say they have nominated three candidates through write in votes in the GOP primary: in the 22nd district, former Somerset County Freeholder Rose McConnell will take on State Senator Nicholas Scutari, and Robert Gatto, a former North Plainfield candidate, will join Bryan Desrochers in the race for State Assembly against incumbents Linda Stender and Gerald Green.

In District 36, former Lyndurst Board of Education member Michael Guarino, who was tossed from the ballot after failing to obtain 100 signatures on his petition, won the GOP Senate nomination. He'll challenge State Senator Paul Sarlo. Federal prosecutors have served Scutari and Sarlo with subpoenas as part of the state budget probe.