Zenon Christodoulou

Newark Mayor Cory Booker

Hoping to gnaw at what they believe is a soft GOP county underbelly ready to turn blue in the right circumstances, Somerset Democrats will bring in Newark Mayor Cory Booker this month for a fundraiser at the home of Somerset County Democratic Vice Chairman Zenon Christodoulou.

Republicans say it's not happening, no matter how much statewide starpower their rivals attempt to leverage.

"He's a Newark mayor and what does he have to do with Somerset County?" asked an unimpressed Bridgewater Council President Pat Scaglione, Republican candidate for freeholder here with incumbent GOP Freeholder Jack Ciattarelli.  "I want to talk about the issues."

Gov. Jon Corzine, right, with Somerset County Democratic Party Chair Peg Schaffer and Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula (D-Franklin Township), left.

SOMERVILLE - When President Barack Obama choppered into Holmdel and stood at a podium with Gov. Jon Corzine as flashbulbs popped, the event went down as a high profile rescue effort by the president of a governor for whom much of the Democratic Party was hitting the panic button.

Today, in a seeming effort to shake off the candidate in distress designation and himself come to the oratorical aid of a president whose own favorables have dipped since his appearance at the PNC Arts Center earlier this summer, Corzine sounded a note of defiant allegiance to Obama.

"Our president is under attack," Corzine told a crowd of 75-100 rain-spattered troops at the opening of the Somerset County Democratic Party headquarters on Division Street. "We need to send him a signal that we're with him. We're not going backwards, we're going forward."

While the governor is running nine points behind GOP gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie, according to the latest Quinnipiac University poll, the Christie campaign had a week and a half of negative headlines, which may have tightened the race.

"Everything is moving in the right direction," Corzine roared. "Let's keep it going. Things are moving in the right direction, right?"

Gov. Jon Corzine signs an executive order creating the Hellenic-American Heritage Commission.

PRINCETON - Branded an outsider early in his race with GOP gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie, and the prodigal son of either Wall Street or Illinois, or both, Gov. Jon Corzine seized on the presence of 350 Greek Americans in Drumthwacket this evening to make his case as a New Jerseyan by choice. 

"Thirty-percent of people in New Jersey today are first or second generation immigrants," added Corzine, moments before signing an executive order creating the Hellenic-American Heritage Commission to be headed by Zenon Christodoulou, son of the late Dr. Chris Christodolou, a national leader in the Greek-American community for 30 years. 

"This state has always welcomed people who have thought of this place as one of oppportunity, who recognize the wonder of our diversity," said Corzine at an event where guests enjoyed Greek cuisine, folkloric dancing and a dramatic reading of Plato's Apology. 

Joining the governor onstage was former U.S. Sen. Paul Sarbanes (D-Maryland), a Greek-American who went to Princeton University and who has family ties to Southern New Jersey.

Somerset County Democratic Chair Peg Schaffer, local races

MARTINSVILLE – It looks like a joke at first or at least an appropriate back burner relegation for the Somerset County Democratic Party, which sits under a pizza parlor facing away from the road.

They don’t dominate here, haven’t for years, and that’s an understatement, but the little storefront plastered over with Democratic Party campaign signs belies the internal workings of what new party chair Peg Schaffer sees as a movement.

“I forgot how to practice law,” says Schaffer, sporting a “McBush” button and gulping coffee as she surveys headquarters where two dozen campaign workers stay on the phones.

Illinois State Treasurer Alexi GiannouliasDemocratic Party operative Zenon Christodoulou on Sunday welcomed Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias to Edison to campaign for presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama (D-Il.).

Statewide director of Greeks for Obama, Christodoulou described the 32-year old Giannoulias as a personal friend and protegee of Obama's, and a rising star on the national political scene who spoke at the Democratic National Convention. 

U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone (D-Long Branch) joined Giannoulias at Pine’s Manor to talk to 100 prominent members of New Jersey’s Greek community, which numbers between 80,000 and 120,000, Christodoulou said.

DENVER - As the New Jersey delegation burst through the double doors into the parking of the Pepsi Center, looking over the shoulders and around the bulky accouterments of any number of security personnel for a clear path to a party at Invesco Field, a small group of those formerly known as the "The Group" huddled on the pavement.

Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) had just spoken and so the emotion was still palpable, and Caren Turner, who has flirted with the idea of backing Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) rather than support the Democratic Primary conqueror of her candidate, remained unconvinced that she should back Barack.

"I’ve got to think about it," said Turner. "I’d like to see what his platform is going to be to get more women into positions of government."

With Turner stood Zenon Christodoulou, vice chair of the Somerset County Democratic Party and another Group member.

The Rev. Reginald Jackson of Orange was one of six Group fundraisers who went to Chicago on Monday.: Politicker file photo 

Six members of the New Jersey fundraising outfit formerly known as "the Group" toured the Obama mothership in Chicago on Monday and interfaced with some of the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee’s top staffers.

Zenon Christodoulou, Al DeCotiis, Hugh DeFazio, John Graham, Bill Harla, and the Rev. Reginald Jackson spent three hours in Sen. Barack Obama’s (D-Il.) main campaign headquarters, which houses the political activity of some 450 people, according to DeCotiis.

"We told them we’re going to work with our existing operations and that we intend to bring in all of the Clinton finance supporters for full impact," said DeCotiis.

The big money Democratic Party fundraisers who backed Hillary Clinton in the primary but have now committed to supporting Barack Obama, accepted an invitation to fly out to Chicago Monday to sit down with Obama’s campaign manager.

There’s a Jersey connection there, as David Plouffe managed Bob Torricelli’s successful U.S. senate campaign in 1996.

Those members of the "Group" who plan to head to Obama’s Midwest base of operations for a three-hour confab include Zenon Christodoulou, Al DeCotiis, John Graham and William Harla.

"We were asked to come out by the campaign so that they could introduce us to all of the main people they want us to get to know in the head office," said Christodoulou.

BRANCHBURG- Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone (D-6) helped the Somerset County Democratic Party raise about $50,000 at a private fundraiser here on Saturday.

"Bob Menendez came up from Washington because he believes in the potential to turn this county blue," said Zenon Christodoulou, vice chair of the party.

Christodoulou and his fellow Democrats are fighting a long tradition of Republican rule in Somerset.