Sandra Cunningham

Sandra Bolden Cunningham took her seat in the State Senate todaySandra Bolden Cunningham was sworn in today to serve in the state Senate seat that her husband held until his death in 2004.

"I thank God for giving me the opportunity to fill Glenn's seat,” said Cunningham.

The seat was vacated by Joe Doria, also the former Mayor of Bayonne, who left both offices are being tapped by Gov. Corzine to head the Department of Community Affairs.

Sandra Bolden Cunningham won a Special Election Convention tonight to replace Joseph Doria in State Senate.  Doria resigned to become Acting Commissioner of Community Affairs.

Cunningham will fill the remaining three months of Doria's term.

At the last Jersey City Municipal Council meeting, Ward E Councilman Steve Fulop did not get a warm reception. That’s not unusual for Fulop, who has been a consistent adversary of many Jersey City politicians since he was elected to the council in 2005.

But this time it was personal.

Fulop had just introduced a resolution that would have banned dual public office holding, personal use of city vehicles and required former city officials to wait three years after leaving the city’s employment before they could lobby the city. If passed, Jersey City would have the strictest ethics measure in the state, said Fulop.

Did you know that the law allows legislative districts to jump a body of water in order to remain geographically contiguous?  For example, Bayonne and Elizabeth could be in the same district.  That would be a possible solution for soon-to-be Senator Sandra Bolden Cunningham, who might want to drop Bayonne, and for Assemblyman and Democratic State Chairman Joseph Cryan, who might like to move up to the Senate without disturbing the balance of Democratic districts for Senators Raymond Lesniak of Elizabeth and Nicholas Scutari of Linden.

By endorsing Hillary Clinton today, Bob Menendez hopes he can convince undecided New Jersey politicians to follow suit.

“I certainly hope that if people want to change in the country, one that is positive and one that can lead us to greater opportunity for the future, that more and more New Jersey leaders will support Senator Clinton,” said Menendez. “I look forward to helping her build the grassroots support."

It has been thirty years since Mary Scanlon won a State Assembly that once belonged to her late husband.  Patrick Scanlon was serving his frst term in the Legislature when he died in office in June 1977.  A protege of the late Democratic State Chairman Philip Keegan, Scanlon won the Newark-Irvington-South Orange Assembly seat Keegan gave up in 1975; in  that same primary, Scanlon's running mate, incumbent Rocco Neri, lost re-electon to 23-year-old Peter Shapiro, who would go on to serve as Essex County Executive and become the Democratic nomine for Governor ten years later.

Former Governor Richard Codey is, according to an independent poll, New Jersey's most popular politician, yet his re-election as Senate President next year is hardly automatic. There have been rumblings of a challenge, especially if the block of Southern Democrats in the Senate increases after the November election. Codey backed two winners in Democratic Senate primaries last night: Sandra Bolden Cunningham in the 31st district, and incumbent Ronald Rice in the 28th. The non-risk-averse Codey could have lost the votes of Louis Manzo and Bilal Beasley in a Democratic Caucus vote.

Brian Stack, Sandra Cunningham, Kevin O'Toole and Steven Oroho won hotly contested primaries for open State Senate seats and are now the strong favorites to win election to the Senate in November.

Two incumbents, Assemblyman Wilfredo Caraballo and Assemblywoman Oadline Truitt, lost their bids for re-election. A third incumbent, Assemblyman Craig Stanley, trails Cleopatra Tucker by 110 votes with 99.3% of the vote (142 of 143 districts) counted.

State Sen. Ronald Rice narrowly held off a tough primary challenge, defeating Essex County Freeholder Bilal Beasley by a 52%-48% margin. Beasley's running mate, Essex County Freeholder Ralph Caputo, defeated Truitt.

The primaries proved to be a draw for Democrats in Hudson and Essex: the Hudson County Democratic Organization backed Cunningham, but opposed Stack. The Essex County Democratic Committee and Newark Mayor Cory Booker ousted Caraballo and Truitt, but lost their bid to defeat Rice by less than 500 votes. Caraballo lost by nearly 5,000 vote to former Assemblyman Albert Coutinho and former Booker Deputy Campaign Manager Grace Spencer.

Stack won in a landslide -- 77% over Sal Vega, while Cunningham defeated Assemblyman Louis Manzo by a 55%-45% margin in two especially bitter battles. Cunningham defeated Assemblyman Louis Manzo by a 55%-45% margin.Stack won every town in his district, including West New York, where Vega is Mayor. He took 90% in Union City, winning 9,905 to 978.

Assembly candidates running with Cunningham and Stack also won, making former Jersey City Mayor L. Harvey Smith, former Assemblyman Anthony Chiappone, Hoboken Councilman Ruben Ramos, and Caridad Rodriguez, an aide to Rep. Albio Sires, the strong favorites to win Assembly seat in November.

Hudson County Executive Thomas DeGise easily won renomination. HCDO candidates for County Clerk and Sheriff also won: Barbara Netchert defeated Acting County Clerk Mary Jane Desmond, 52%-45%; and Juan Perez ousted incumbent Sheriff Joseph Cassidy, 50%-47%.

But the HCDO candidate for Hudson County Freeholder, Alberto Cabrera, lost to Jose Munoz, who had Stack's support.

Assemblyman David Russo won renomination, even though he had been dumped from the Bergen County Republican Organization line. He ran with O'Toole and Wayne Mayor Scott Rumana.

In the 26th district, attorney Jay Webber defeated former Kinnelon Council President Larry Casha by about 600 votes to win the GOP nomination. Assembly Minority Leader Alex DeCroce won. In District 24, Assemblywoman Alison Littell McHose won , along with her running mate, Sussex County Freeholder Gary Chiusano.

Warren County Acting Clerk Patricia Kolb defeated Chad Chamberlain, the son of a Warren County Freeholder by a 4-1 margin.

Morris County Freeholder John Inglesino lost his bid for re-election to James Murray, a retired county engineer.

In Hunterdon County, incumbent George Melick and deoderant heir Will Mennen won a contested primary for Freeholder. Mennen led former Tewksbury Mayor Shaun Van Doren by 246 votes. Former Freeholder Frank Fuzo trailed far behind.

In local races, a slate of candidates backed by Assemblyman James Whelan easily won contests for the Atlantic City Council against a slate backed by supporters of the Callaway organization, and a slate of Council candidates backed by Edison Mayor Jun Choi won. Princeton Borough Mayor Mildred Trotman and Highland Park Mayor Meryl Frank, both Democrats, survived primary challenges, but Florham Park Mayor Frank Tinari, a Republican, did not.

Bergen County Democratic Organization candidates in Englewood and Bergenfield lost.

State Sen. Nicholas Scutari easily defeated Bill Campbell in the 22nd district. There are unconfirmed reports that former Somerset County Freeholder Rose McConnell won the GOP nomination as a write-in candidate.

There are also unconfirmed reports that Michael Guarino, who was tossed from the ballot after failing to obtain 100 signatures on his petition, won the GOP Senate nomination in District 36 as a write-in candidate.

State Sen. Nicholas Sacco has defeated Sean Connors, a Jersey City police officer, by a wide margin. His 32nd district running mates, Assemblywoman Joan Quigley and Assemblyman Vincent Prieto, have also won renomination.

In District 9, Pine Beach Mayor Russell Corby has won the Democratic State Senate nomination, defeating James LeTellier, a police officer. Corby will face Assemblyman Christopher Connors in the general election.

Incumbent Peter Biondi won renomination to the State Assembly in the 16th district, along with Somerset County Freeholder Denise Coyle. They defeated Stanley Serafin.

In District 1, GOP organization candidates Norris Clark and Michael Donohue defeated George Cecola to win the nomination for State Assembly. In the 18th district, Daniel Brown defeated Andrew Tidd for the GOP Senate nomination by a 2-1 margin.

Supporters of Democratic Assembly candidate Nicholas Chiavaralotti like the numbers in Bayonne, which look significantly higher than what they see in Ward F. Chiavaralotti campaign staffers expect a turnout of over 5,000 in Bayonne, where Louis Manzo’s ticket must score a strong plurality to overcome the Hudson County Democratic Organization’s strength in Jersey City’s Ward F.

Bayonne Councilman Tony Chiappone’s campaign team at his Bayonne headquarters on Broadway Avenue confirm that about 1,500 voters in Bayonne and 1,185 in Jersey City’s Ward F had turned out to vote as of 1 p.m.