Ted Kennedy

As the Presidential election draws closer and closer, we tend to focus our attention on the daily horse race between the candidates and lose sight of one key question recently raised in the Washington Post: What can our elected officials actually do for us?

As a union leader, I hear that question from my members quite often.  For us, that question becomes even more specific: What can elected officials do to help working families and union members?  With the recent news of Senator Ted Kennedy’s illness, I thought is was worth reminding ourselves of exactly what a passionate and dedicated elected official really can do and why it is so important that we stay engaged in the political arena and work to elect strong and uncompromising advocates of workers’ rights.

More movement in Governor Jon Corzine’s office:  Lilo Stainton, the former Gannett statehouse reporter who has served as Corzine’s press secretary since last June, is leaving for another state post.  She’ll be the Communications Director for the Meadowlands Commission.  Stainton took over for Anthony Coley (now Senator Ted Kennedy’s press secretary) when Coley moved up to Communications Director following the departure (under not-so-great terms) of Ivette Mendez.  When Coley left earlier this year, Corzine (after taking some time to mull his options) hired a reporter who covered him for the Star-Ledger, Deborah Howlett.

Anthony Coley, who served as Jon Corzine’s Communications Director, first in Washington and then in Trenton, is the new Communications Director for U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy

Bob Decheine probably wouldn’t know how to get from Haworth to Hawthorne, but he’s very much in control of Barack Obama’s presidential campaign in New Jersey. His power comes from his day job as Chief of Staff to Congressman Steven Rothman, who has emerged as the leader of the state Obama campaign. And Rothman’s lead in a PolitickerNJ.com online poll of which New Jersey Democrat has the most political power today appears to be the result of Obama’s surge as a national candidate.

In case you missed it: Governor Jon Corzine delivered New Jersey to his preferred presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton – something some other major political leaders could not do. Barack Obama had endorsements from the two United States Senators from Massachusetts, Edward Kennedy and John Kerry, but still lost the state to Clinton. And Governor Janet Napolitano could not produce an Obama win in Arizona.

U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy will be in New Jersey today, joining Barack Obama for a rally in a state that has become a horse race despite Hillary Clinton’s one-time 34-point lead.  The last two times New Jersey was relevant in the presidential nominating process were in 1980 and 1984.  In the 1980 primary, Kennedy won New Jersey 56%-38% over President Jimmy Carter.  In 1984, Walter Mondale won New Jersey by a 45%-30% margin over Gary Hart, with Jesse Jackson winning 24% of the vote.