Sheila Oliver

If Sheila Oliver (D-East Orange) wins her bid for Assembly Speaker, she will become the first woman Speaker since Marion West Higgins (R-Westwood) held the post in 1965, the first African American Speaker since the Rev. S. Howard Woodson (D-Trenton) served in 1974 and 1975, and the first from Essex County since Thomas Kean (R-Livingston) was Speaker in 1972 and 1973.

Newark Mayor Cory Booker needed to do some damage control yesterday after taking heat for his endorsement of Richard Codey (D-Roseland) in the race for Senate President.  Booker, at the urging of two lawyers who advise him, Elnardo Webster and Paul Fader, backed Codey after Stephen Sweeney (D-West Deptford) had already announced he had a majority of the Democratic Senate Caucus on his side.   That caused some Democrats close to Sweeney - especially George Norcross - to offer Booker a bit of friendly guidance.  (It's fair to assume that the advice included strategic assumptions for the 2013 Democratic gubernatorial primary.)  Booker, realizing Webster and Fader might have screwed up a bit, put out a statement late in the day acknowledging Sweeney's victory over Codey, and endorsing Sheila Oliver (D-East Orange) for Speaker.  That probably made Norcross happy, but it won't be any consolation to Codey, who thought announcing a Booker endorsement a few hours earlier might be his salvation.

Assemblywoman Caridad Rodriguez (D-West New York), who served as Albio Sires' executive assistant when he was the Mayor of West New York, and as his office manager when he won election to Congress, is in line to chair the Assembly Human Services Committee.  The current chair, Sheila Oliver (D-East Orange) appears to have the votes to become the next Assembly Speaker.  Rodriguez, who is now the panel's vice chair, endorsed Oliver for the post yesterday.

One of the likely casualties of the battle for the Senate Presidency will be Assemblyman John McKeon (D-West Orange), who is Richard Codey's (D-Roseland) closest ally in the Legislature.  Watch for the new leadership to punish McKeon, perhaps by taking away his chairmanship of the Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committee.  Democrats will argue that with the new Speaker coming from Essex, some of the more prestigious chairmanships might need to go elsewhere. 

Democrats most loyal to Gov. Jon Corzine are not big fans of McKeon, who took on the role of bashing Corzine during the few months in 2004 and 2005 when Codey and Corzine might have been competitors for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination.

McKeon, the Mayor of West Orange, has been widely viewed as the heir apparent to Codey's Senate seat.  With Codey apparently about to lose his post to Stephen Sweeney (D-West Deptford), the new leadership might be less than enthusiastic about seeing McKeon ascend to the Senate.  Sources suggest that Democrats might be open to moving West Orange (and perhaps Roseland, if Codey runs again) out of the district during the 2011 redistricting process.

Maybe Assemblyman Michael Patrick Carroll (R-Morris Twp.) will get his wish: the conservative Republican told PolitickerNJ.com last month that he would run against Codey if mapmakers created a competitive district that is at least half Morris County,

Newark Mayor Cory Booker says that Stephen Sweeney (D-West Deptford) will be the next Senate President and has endorsed Sheila Oliver (D-East Orange) for Assembly Speaker.

Earlier today, Richard Codey (D-Roseland) issued a statement announcing that Booker has endorsed his re-election as Senate President, along with thirteen other Democratic mayors from Essex County.  Booker offered praise of Codey's service, but acknowledged that Sweeney has the votes to win.

"For his entire career Dick Codey has been a true champion of New Jersey and the city of Newark. And for my short career as mayor he has been an honorable friend and invaluable ally. It is clear to me that the question of who will be our next senate president has been settled," Booker said in an e-mail to PolitickerNJ.com. "We are all Democrats and it is time to come together and work on the important issues facing our state and each individual municipality and also ensure that Governor Jon Corzine is re-elected. I look forward to working with Senator Sweeney in his new role and am confident that he too will be a champion of New Jersey and the city of Newark."

Booker made it clear that he is backing Oliver, an ally of Newark Democratic leader Stephen Adubato, Sr., for Speaker.

"What remains unsettled is the question of who will be the Assembly Speaker. I have no vote in this matter, but to the degree that I am able I will be a strong advocate for Sheila Oliver," Booker said.  "Her ascendancy to this position will not only be historic as the first African American to hold this seat but much more importantly, she is a qualified public servant who will provide critical leadership for our state during these challenging times.

Sheila Oliver (D-East Orange), an Essex County Democrat and a self-professed independent, appears to have more than enough votes to become the next Assembly Speaker.  She has public commitments from seventeen Democrats - twelve from South Jersey, four from Union County, two from Hudson County, and one from Middlesex County; her own vote brings her hard count to twenty. 

Democratic sources say that Oliver will also get four more votes out of Middlesex, one out of Somerset, and one more out of Hudson.  That brings her to 26, not including any support from her home county, Essex.  The presumption is that Oliver will get at least four votes out of Essex, and possibly as many as six.  That brings her soft count to 33.

Oliver's lone opponent, Majority Leader Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Ewing), has a hard count of two votes.

Two Hudson County Democrats say they will support Sheila Oliver (D-East Orange) for Assembly Speaker.  That brings Oliver's hard count up to 20 votes.

Ruben Ramos (D-Hoboken) and Caridad Rodriguez (D-West New York) say that Oliver would be a groundbreaking choice who would bring passion and fresh perspective to state government.

"This is an exciting opportunity for the state of New Jersey to have someone of Sheila Oliver's background and vision in this important position," Ramos said. "She has been a champion for the average person who struggles every day and needs a strong advocate speaking for them in Trenton. It would be hard to imagine a better person to be our Speaker."

Union County's four Democratic Assembly members formally backed Sheila Oliver (D-East Orange) for speaker today, including Democratic State Chairman Joseph Cryan (D-Union), who was in the running for the top spot.    

The move solidifies the a North-South Jersey deal connected to the senate leadership contest, where Senate Majority Leader Stephen Sweeney (D-West Deptford) yesterday announced that he had the votes to topple Senate President Dick Codey (D-Roseland).

Cryan is said to be the leading contender for Majority Leader.

In addition to Cryan, who is also the state Democratic chairman, Assemblywomen Annette Quijano (D-Elizabeth), Linda Stender (D-Fanwood) and Assembly Speaker Pro Tempore Gerald Green (D-Plainfield) said, through a statement released by Union County Democratic Chair Charlotte DeFilippo, that they would back Oliver.

In the last 24 hours: Steve Sweeney appears to have beaten Dick Codey in the race for Senate President; Sheila Oliver looks like she has the votes to become the next Assembly Speaker; and new Quinnipiac poll shows a close race for Governor, with Chris Christie leading Jon Corzine by four percentage points.

PolitickerNJ.com's coverage of today's news:

Governor
Quinnipiac poll has Christie ahead by 4 points as Corzine gets closer
Christie camp highlights Corzine's QPAC negatives
Cryan heartened by poll numbers showing closer race
Webber focuses on Corzine's 39%
Daggett brings out the impersonators again

Senate President
Sweeney has dinner with Cunningham... and Cardwell
Opposition researcher says OLS tipped off Codey
Codey absorbs news of Sweeney's backers, won't give up
Sweeney announces endorsements of majority of Democratic Senators in bid for Senate President
Lesniak: having a Speaker and Senate President from the same county would be 'unprecedented' and 'not good'
Bowser reminded DiVincenzo about the consequences of opposing Codey
Labor group backs Sweeney

Assembly Speaker
Oliver: 'I am the most independent person ever elected'
Coleman not ready to give up on speakership
South Jersey Democrats back Oliver for Speaker
Wisniewski drops bid for Speaker and endorses Oliver

Assembly Minority Leader
DeCroce/Bramnick flex overwhelming support in face of Biondi faction

Legislative Races
40 Assembly candidates seek 'return the Legislature to regular citizens'
FOP releases endorsements

Local
Former Irvington mayor pleads guilty to taking kickbacks
Healy files with ELEC for 2013