Upendra Chivukula

The Home News Tribune has urged the ouster of the most incumbent legislators this year: six.  The HNT called for the defeat of Linda Greenstein (D-Plainsboro), Wayne DeAngelo (D-Hamilton), Joseph Egan (D-New Brunswick), Upendra Chivukula (D-Franklin), Patrick Diegnan (D-South Plainfield), and John Wisniewski (D-Sayreville).  Only Peter Barnes (D-Edison) survived the wrath of the editorial board.  But the HNT also endorsed three incumbent Democrats for re-election to the Middlesex County Board of Freeholders. 

The Courier-News wants five incumbents, all Democrats, to be defeated: Linda Stender (D-Fanwood), Gerald Green (D-Plainfield), Egan, Chivukula, and Diegnan.  They endorsed three GOP incumbents, Peter Biondi (R-Hillsborough), Denise Coyle (R-Bernards), and John DiMaio (R-Hackettstown) and Barnes.

The Courier-Post wants four Democratic legislators gone: five-term Assemblymen Herbert Conaway (D-Delanco) and Jack Connors (D-Pennsauken); and two special election winners -- State Sen. James Beach (D-Voorhees), who went to the Senate after John Adler became a Congressman; and Assemblywoman Celeste Riley (D-Bridgeton), who won a special election convention earlier this year after Douglas Fisher resigned to become state Secretary of Agriculture.   The Gloucester County Times also advocated the defeat of Riley, and the Burlington County Times said Coway should go.

The Record endorsed Republican challengers running against Frederick Scalera (D-Nutley), Joan Voss (D-Fort Lee), and Connie Wagner (D-Paramus); they endorsed ten incumbents for re-election - seven Democrats and three Republicans.  The Record also called for the ouster of Democratic Freeholders in Bergen and Passaic counties.

The Press of Atlantic City endorsed a Republican challenger against freshman Assemblyman Matthew Milam (D-Vineland).  The newspaper backed five incumbents - one Democrat and four Republicans.

CONGRESSMAN HONDA & CHIVUKULA & NJ ASIAN AMERICAN LEADERS CAMPAIGN AT ASIAN AMERICAN EVENTS ACROSS STATE TO STRENGTHEN SUPPORT FOR CORZINE/WEINBERG & DEMOCRATS

Key National Leader in Asian American Community Stumps for Corzine/Weinberg & NJ Dems to Largest Growing Minority Community in New Jersey

The Private Enterprise Political Action Committee (PENPAC), which is part of the Commerce and Industry Association of New Jersey (CIANJ), has endorsed 37 candidates for State Assembly - including two Democrats.   There is some political significance to these endorsements: if Republican Christopher Christie becomes Governor, CIANJ is positioned to become the dominant pro-business trade association in the state.  Republicans have complained that the relationship between recent Democratic Governors and the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce and the New Jersey Business and Industry Association have been too cozy.  Indeed, some Republican leaders say that if the GOP wins the governorship, the chamber and BIA may have to make some leadership changes to remain relevant.

All this puts CIANJ, whose chairman, Richard Goldberg, was an early Christie supporter, in a potentially good position.  GOP leaders view Joan Verplanck of the Chamber of Commerce and Phil Kirshner of BIA, as entirely too close to Gov. Jon Corzine.

Assemblyman John Wisniewski received the endorsement of his home county delegation in his bid to become Assembly Speaker. Six Democrats live in Middlesex, and another legislator from Somerset says he'll also back the Sayreville Democrat.

The Middlesex County Democratic State Assembly delegation will back John Wisniewski (D-Sayreville) for Assembly Speaker, potentially giving him an early lead in the race to succeed Joseph Roberts.  Joseph Spicuzzo, the Democratic County Chairman, announced the unanimous support of the delegation in a press release issued this evening.

In January, New Jersey will need a new Assembly Speaker who will represent the middle class, the middle ground, as well as the middle of our state," Spicuzzo said.  "No one will do a better job of bringing people together for the good of New Jersey than Middlesex County's own Assemblyman John Wisniewski.

Roberts recently announced that he will not seek re-election to the Legislature, where he has served since 1987.  Assembly Majority Leader Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Ewing) has said she will seek the post, and Assemblyman Joseph Cryan (D-Union), the Democratic State Chairman, is considered a leading candidate for Speaker. 

The Middlesex base could bring Wisniewski as many as ten votes in his leadership bid, depending upon the outcome of the general election.

Three Democrats who live in Middlesex are likely to win re-election to the Assembly in November: Peter Barnes (D-Edison), Patrick Diegnan (D-South Plainfield), and Joseph Egan (D-New Brunswick).  Linda Greenstein (D-Plainsboro) is favored to win re-election, as are Wisniewski and his running mate, former Judge Craig Coughlin in the 19th district.

Another legislator, Upendra Chivukula (D-Franklin), was included in Spicuzzo's release as endorsing Wisniewski.  Chivukula lives in Somerset County but represents a largely Middlesex district. 

Three other legislators, Wayne DeAngelo (D-Hamilton), Gerald Green (D-Plainfield), and Linda Stender (D-Fanwood), represent districts that include parts of Middlesex County.  They were not included in Spicuzzo's statement, which specifically said that "Middlesex County's Democratic delegation to the State Assembly unanimously supports John Wisniewski."

The family of the late Senator Edward Kennedy will be gratified to know that Assemblymen John McKeon (D-West Orange) and Upendra Chivukula (D-Franklin) issued statements late this afternoon paying tribute to Kennedy's lifetime accomplishments. The comments of the two legislators, issued at 4:46 PM and 5:55 PM, respectively, join similar statements made earlier today by other world leaders.

Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula (D-Franklin Twp.) at Sunday's Indian Independence Day Parade.

The presence of GOP gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie's float at the Indian Independence Day Parade on Sunday came as a broadside to Democrats who didn't field a rival "Corzine" four-wheeler in what is generally a Democratic Party safe zone.

As reported over the weekend on PolitickerNJ.com, Sheriff Kim Guadagno, the Republican lieutenant governor candidate, stood front and center behind the parade's main banner before going back and climbing aboard Christie's campaign mobile, where she and her sons waved to the crowd.

A 19th District candidate float commanded by Peter Kothari likewise contributed to a sense of GOP dominance.

Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula (D-Franklin Twp.) objected, however, to the interpretation of the event as a Republican victory lap on  Democratic turf.

GOP candidate for lieutenant governor Kim Guadagno - with Assemblyman Sam Thompson (R-Old Bridge) - waves atop Chris Christie's float in Edison today.

EDISON - It was a parade march that kept coming, and for a brief time Monmouth County Sheriff Kim Guadagno walked at the head of it with some other dignitaries, before she circled back to the "Chris Christie" float, jumped aboard, and waved atop that perch as she rolled eastward on Oak Tree Road through the same crowd.

"You're double-dipping!" someone cried across the roil of Indian flag waving up and down the street and the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor laughed in return and rolled onward. 

Right behind her in this march honoring India's 63rd year of independence from Great Britain rolled the float of Peter Kothari, overhung with signs proclaiming him a "fearless leader who can deliver change that we can believe in" - and one half of the Republican ticket in the 19th District, a mosh of Middlesex towns anchored by Kothari's hometown of Woodbridge.

Kothari's doubled back himself a million times on this road that leads him again and again to 1990, when the real estate agent moved into his new office on Oak Tree in 1990 and somebody promptly smashed out the windows. 

When he went to the police department to complain, he says they shrugged in his face and said: "Call the insurance company."

Kothari did that - but he also reached back to his student organizing days in India to become more political. 

ECONOMIC STIMULUS BILL SIGNED INTO LAW

(TRENTON) - Landmark legislation that takes a broad approach to jumpstarting local economic development projects and creating new jobs by maximizing New Jersey's federal stimulus investments and promoting growth and development efforts vital to repositioning the state for long-term prosperity was signed into law today by Gov. Jon Corzine.

McKEON / CHIVUKULA / COUTINHO / GREENSTEIN PROMOTE CLEAN ENERGY

Measure To Deem Wind, Solar as ‘Inherently Beneficial’ Gets Final Legislative OK

(TRENTON) – Legislation Assemblymen John McKeon, Upendra Chivukula, Albert Coutinho and Linda Greenstein sponsored to promote alternative energy systems by deeming the technology as “inherently beneficial” when considered by local planning and zoning boards has received final legislative approval.

ECONOMIC STIMULUS BILL PASSES ASSEMBLY
Would Place Moratorium on Nonresidential Development Fee,
Expand Transit Hub Tax Credit, Fuel Redevelopment,
Allow Colleges to Partner with Private Firms To Build Infrastructure

(TRENTON) - The General Assembly today passed landmark legislation that would take a broad approach to jumpstarting local economic development projects and creating new jobs by maximizing New Jersey's federal stimulus investments and promoting growth and development efforts vital to repositioning the state for long-term prosperity.