William Payne

In the Essex County-based 28th district, former Assemblyman Craig Stanley (D-Irvington) is hoping to win back the seat he held for twelve years before losing the 2007 Democratic primary by 127 votes.  The Essex Democratic organization is backing the incumbents, Ralph Caputo (D-Belleville) and Cleopatra Tucker (D-Newark).  The primary will test the political strength of U.S. Rep. Donald Payne's organization; Stanley is the nephew of Payne's brother, former Assemblyman William Payne.  Caputo and Tucker are favored to win.

Democrat Craig Stanley is expected to announce next month that he will seek his old State Assembly seat.  Stanley spent twelve years in the Assembly before narrowly losing the 2007 Democratic primary to Ralph Caputo and Cleopatra Tucker, a casualty of a political war that sought to oust State Sen. Ronald Rice.  Rice won his primary despite strong opposition from Newark Mayor Cory Booker; Stanley ran on the Rice line.

Assemblyman Ralph Caputo (D-Belleville), left, and Assemblywoman Cleopatra Tucker (D-Newark), with Newark Mayor Cory Booker and Assembly Speaker Joe Roberts, could be playing a game of political musical chairs for one 28th district Assembly seat.

Ralph Caputo may be passing Cleopatra Tucker as the most vulnerable member of the State Assembly in District 28 as the Payne political machine moves to return Craig Stanley to the Legislature.  Sources say the Payne organization, led by U.S. Rep. Donald Payne, has made Stanley, the nephew of former Assemblyman William Payne, a priority as the April filing deadline approaches.  Stanley spent twelve years in the Assembly before narrowly losing the 2007 Democratic primary to Caputo and Tucker.  He was a casualty of a political war that sought to oust State Sen. Ronald Rice, who won his primary despite strong opposition from Newark Mayor Cory Booker.  Stanley ran on the Rice line.

William Payne, 76, has mulled his own return to the Assembly seat he gave up in 2007 to mount an Independent bid for State Senator in the 29th district.  Sources say he is willing to forego a primary challenge to incumbents Albert Coutinho and Grace Spencer if Essex Democrats will agree to put Stanley on the organization line in the neighboring district.

For a while it looked like Tucker was the most likely casualty, but now the talk is that it may be Caputo, a 68-year-old white Belleville Democrat who represents a Newark-Irvington district drawn to elect African American legislators.  Caputo is also an Essex County Freeholder (he represents a blue collar district) and served in the Assembly as a Republican from 1968 to 1972.

Politicker.com photo

Former Assemblyman William Payne (right, with Gov. Jon Corzine) is not likely to seek his old 29th district seat, but he wants his nephew, former Assemblyman Craig Stanley, to get his old 28th district seat back next year.

Freshman Assemblywoman Cleopatra Tucker is in danger of losing the support of the Essex County Democratic organization if she runs for re-election to a second term in 2009, Democratic sources say.  Part of the deal to keep Assemblywoman Grace Spencer, perhaps Newark Mayor Cory Booker's closest friend in the Legislature, in her 29th district seat is to replace Tucker with former Assemblyman Craig Stanley, who lost his bid for renomination in the June 2007 primary. 

Assemblywoman Grace Spencer (D-Newark) is now expected to receive party support in her bid for re-election to a second term in 2009.

Freshman Assemblywoman Grace Spencer, a close political ally of Newark Mayor Cory Booker, appears positioned to get a second term in the Legislature next year.  There has been talk that Spencer might get dumped from the Essex Democratic line so that former Assemblyman William Payne could return, but now it looks like Payne will not be a candidate and Spencer will have a clear path.  

The tides have changed for freshman Assemblywoman Grace Spencer.  A few months ago, she was in danger of losing Democratic organization support in her bid for re-election in 2009 -- possibly as a way for former Assemblyman William Payne to return to the Legislature. But now, Spencer looks to be in good shape -- thanks to her political patron, Newark Mayor Cory Booker.  Booker has made it clear to Democratic officials that he'll do everything possible to save Spencer.  The primary with Payne may still happen, but key Democrats look increasingly less likely that they'll take on Booker.

Assemblyman Albert Coutinho (D-Newark) on Adams Street in the Ironbound: Politicker photo 

NEWARK - Standing outside East Ward Democratic Party headquarters on Adams Street, Assemblyman Albert Coutinho (D-Newark) occupies that central part of the 29th Legislative District that encompasses north and south Newark.

Coutinho’s running mates, state Sen. Teresa Ruiz (D-Essex) and Assemblywoman Grace Spencer (D-Newark) come out of the north and south wards Newark respectively.

The East Ward, which is made up Portugese and Italians, and fits into the Ironbound neighborhood, is Coutinho’s home.

"We’ve always been an independent ward," says Joseph Parlavecchio, the assemblyman’s mentor, who on this day sits inside party HQ, giving an interview to a young woman who’s writing a book about city politics.

Assemblywoman Grace Spencer (D-Newark): Politicker photo 

Assemblywoman Grace Spencer (D-Newark) officially opened her district office on Hawthorne Avenue in the South Ward on Friday in a well-attended event.

U.S. Rep. William Payne (D-Newark), Essex county Party chairman Phil Thigpen, Sen. Ronald Rice (D-Essex), Assemblyman Thomas Giblin (D-Montclair), Assemblywoman Cleopatra Tucker (D-Newark), Assemblyman Albert Coutinho (D-Newark), and local elected officials were among the 150 people who joined Spencer for the kick-off.

"I plan to have a larger event in September," said Spencer.

The office opening comes in the wake of a suggestion by former Assemblyman William Payne (D-Newark) that he wouldn't rule out a primary run against Spencer. Although he bucked the system last year and ran off the line, Payne remains in a powerful inner sanctum. He serves as deputy chief of staff to Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo, a job title shared by Sen. M. Teresa Ruiz, who in 2007 topped the ticket with Spencer. 

Freshman Assemblywoman Grace Spencer, a protégé of Newark Mayor Cory Booker, is suddenly #1 on the list of most vulnerable legislators for 2009.  There is considerable speculation that the Essex County Democratic organization will dump Spencer and back incumbent Albert Coutinho and former Assemblyman William Payne in the Newark-based 29th district.  In turn, Payne, his brother, Congressman Donald Payne, his nephew, Newark City Councilman/Essex County Freeholder Donald Payne, Jr., State Sens. Ronald Rice and Teresa Ruiz, and North Ward Democratic leader Stephen Adubato will back a challenger to Booker – possibly North Ward Councilman Anibal Ramos, Jr. – for Mayor in 2010.

Former Assemblyman William Payne (D-Newark), right, with Gov. Jon Corzine today in the Ironbound 

NEWARK - Former Assemblyman William Payne (D-Newark) today wouldn’t rule out a return run for his old Assembly seat.

"If I ran, it would be for the Assembly," said Payne, who was in attendance at Governor Jon Corzine’s schools construction bill signing at the Oliver Street School in the Ironbound.

"But right now, I don’t have any intentions of running," Payne added.

Thrown off the line last year when he insisted on challenging for Sharpe James’s vacated Senate seat in the 29th District against establishment choice and eventual winner M. Teresa Ruiz, Payne would have to run against Assemblyman Albert Coutinho or Assemblywoman L. Grace Spencer.