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Pat Kramer, former mayor of Paterson, right, with state Sen. Joseph Kyrillos (R-Monmouth).: Politicker photo 

MINNEAPOLIS - Among those at the Republican National Convention stand two venerable members of the Grand Old Party who once slugged it out in a gubernatorial primary.

The title "former governor" in front of the name Thomas Kean provides the most obvious evidence for his 1981 statewide victory over Lawrence "Pat" Kramer, former mayor of Paterson.

But the man who unwittingly helped Kean beat Kramer isn’t a Republican, and was actually in attendance last week at the Democratic National Convention.

He’s former Gov. Brendan Byrne, whose hand-picked successor - then-attorney general, John Degnan - didn’t have the backing of the Democratic Party chairs.

Like the Democrats last week, the New Jersey delegation at the Republican delegation is sitting in the back of the house – way off to the podium’s right, but close enough to get a profile view of the speakers. 

New Jersey McCain State Coordinator Rick Mroz, however, said the issue comes up at every convention, and it doesn’t bother him. 

“I love our seats,” he said. “It’s actually still a pretty intimate setting with the delegation on that floor, so I don’t have a problem with it.”

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. -- New Jersey doesn’t have any speakers set for the Republican National Convention, but it does have a speechwriter.

Tomorrow night, former New York mayor/presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani will deliver a speech on the convention center’s floor that was written by South Orange native Ken Kurson, a consultant at the New Jersey political firm Jamestown Associates.

Kurson co-wrote Giuliani’s biography, which spent 25 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, and served as Chief Operating Officer of his presidential campaign and Deputy Director of Communications at Giuliani Partners.

The 2009 gubernatorial campaign in underway in St. Paul, where two of the four potential candidates for Governor have a visible presence among Republican Party leaders attending the convention.  Biotech millionaire John Crowley sponsored a booze cruise down the Mississippi River last night – the first opportunity for many New Jersey Republicans to see the guy who teased them with a potential U.S. Senate candidate last spring.   And while U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie is not permitted to attend political events, his brother, Wall Street millionaire Todd Christie, has been working the delegation seeming support for 2009.  Former Bogota Mayor Steven Lonegan is not attending the convention (his most likely support won’t come from establishment Republicans who traveled to St. Paul), and there has not yet been a spotting of the fourth candidate in that race, Assemblyman Rick Merkt.

The 2000 U.S. Census listed Wasilla, Alaska, where Sarah Palin served as Mayor before her 2006 election as Governor, at 5,469. The New Jersey municipality closest in size is Old Tappan, pop. 4,482. Wasilla is a growing community, and the Census Bureau estimated their population in 2007 at 9,780 residents. Now it’s comparable to Rive Vale, which has an estimated population of 9,751.

John Crowley is interviewed on the Mississippi river boat by NJN's Jim Hooker.: Politicker photo

MINNEAPOLIS - It started like a scene in a movie where guests receive a mysterious invitation from a powerful benefactor. On the bus trip out to the Mississippi River, a lot of Republicans were wondering, "Who is John Crowley?"

There was another less flashy, more intimate New Jersey political meeting going on simultaneously in another corner of the sprawling Minnesota town where Republicans had converged for their national convention, but for the moment this boat covered with red, white and blue bunting was a captivating focal point for the New Jersey GOP procession answering their invitations to see Crowley.

Crowley. Princeton businessman. Owner of a biotech company engaged in finding a cure for a disease Crowley’s children have fought since birth. Millionaire. Navy intelligence officer. Presumptive GOP political star.

Republicans knew the lineaments of the story; still, everyone was speaking the name without knowing the why beyond the boat trip and the vague possibility that Crowley would challenge Gov. Jon Corzine for governor next year.

Coming off the bus, former Gov. Thomas Kean led the way down the gangplank as the jug band started in on a tune and a paranoid Jersey guy told the governor, "As long as you’re here, I know I’m not too far from home."

First Lady Laura Bush and Cindy McCain at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul today: Getty Images Photo

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• Zimmer foregoes going after Lautenberg
• Smith:Palin puts New Jersey in play
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• Kean: Gustav gives McCain a chance to show contrast
• DeCroce happy about Ferreiro's presence in Denver
• Christie's absent, but his brother makes the rounds
• Republicans sedate on convention eve
• On the ground in Minneapolis, Thompson defends Bush, takes a shot at Dems

U.S. Senate candidate Dick Zimmer walked into the convention hall today and found something unusual: delegates were sitting relatively quietly.

“I’ve been to a lot of conventions, but this one is unlike any of the others. For one thing, we don’t know what’s going to happen day to day, and we’ve gotten a reality check,” said Zimmer. “There’s a world of politics, and there’s a world of real Americans who all of us are thinking of first right now.”

It was also the first time Zimmer encountered such a subdued mood the many conventions he’s attended. His first was in 1968 when Zimmer, then a law student who managed to get on the floor, watched as Richard Nixon, Nelson Rockefeller and Ronald Reagan jostled for the nomination. During that convention, some lesser-known candidates put their names in as well – including New Jersey Sen. Clifford P. Case.

“Here is something Wally Edge might know,” said Zimmer. “You know who made the nominating speech for Case? It was C. Douglas Dillon, who was in Kennedy’s cabinet.”

Biotech millionaire John Crowley, a possible candidate for the 2009 Republican nomination for Governor, had postponed his cruise down the Mississippi River this afternoon amidst a flurry of event cancellations today. But the Republicans said today that the Crowley cruise has been rescheduled for tonight, since the convention session has been cancelled.