President

One of the perks of office for the newly-elected Republican governor, Christopher Christie, will be the ability to deliver the state GOP establishment for the 2012 presidential candidate of his choice. Expect most of the state's Republican County Chairmen, fundraisers, legislators and key local officials to follow Christie's lead.   

Unless the Legislature changes the law, the New Jersey presidential primary is scheduled for February 7, 2012.  Democrats are likely to have an incumbent running without significant opposition, and the GOP primary will be less competitive if Christie picks a horse in that race.

New Jersey Governors have a history of delivering most party endorsements to one presidential candidate during the nomination process: Jon Corzine for Hillary Clinton in 2008, James E. McGreevey for Howard Dean in 2004, and Christine Todd Whitman for George W. Bush in 2000 and for Bob Dole in 1996.

Last Thursday, Lisa Jackson, Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the appointment of my successor as Regional Administrator of Region 2 EPA, Judith Enck, who had been serving as Deputy Secretary of the Environment under New York Governors Eliot Spitzer and David Patterson.  Simultaneously, Lisa also announced the appointment of other Regional Administrators in Regions 1, 3, 6, and 9.

The White House is expected to announce that Judith Enck, New York's Deputy Secretary of the Environment, will be the new Regional Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.  Alan Steinberg, who held the post during the Bush administration, left in January.

One of the more aggressive critics of Gov.-elect Chris Christie early in the campaign, U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-Paterson) today said he plans to reach out to Christie and establish working relations with him for the sake of New Jersey.

"I wish Chris Christie well," said Pascrell. "It's going to be a tough four years overcoming the last eight years of national inaction."

The former mayor of Paterson and veteran 8th District congressman last year mused on a potential bid for the governship in the event that Corzine did not seek re-election. 

Asked if he intends to run for governor in 2013, Pascrell said, "No, it's too early to talk about that now."

Pascrell said he has not talked to defeated Gov. Jon Corzine since the governor's loss to Christie on Tuesday.

"The governor was unable to overcome some unfavorable perceptions many voters had of him," said the congressman. "Most of the Democrats running for (the legislature) didn't run with the governor, and I think it's clear he was also unable to overcome that. He was not able to articulate what he accomplished. This governor accomplished a lot of things. The state budget is the same as it was four years ago. He was trying to do his part with the caps." 

East Ward Democratic Party leader Joe Parlavecchio, left, emerging from Sunday's Obama rally at the Rock with Essex County Democratic Committee Chairman Phil Thigpen

NEWARK - The East Ward - home of the Ironbound and the smallest ward in Newark - is performing above expectations early, according to veteran East Ward Democratic leader Joseph Parlavecchio.

"We have a major, major GOTV operation," Parlavecchio told PolitickerNJ.com. "The tally was 1,800 at noon, which is ahead of your typical mayoral and and local council election, which turns out 3,200 in the East at the end of the night.

"Remember," added the East Warder, "this is a blue collar community, people are working today, and the majority of them who will vote will come and vote after 5 o'clock."

The councilman's father, state Sen. Ronald Rice (D-Newark), overseeing operations days before Election Day.

NEWARK - West Ward Councilman Ronald C. Rice says his ward - overseen for over two decades by his father, state Sen. Ronald Rice (D-Newark) - is performing well early on Election Day.

"We just had our first round of numbers checks," Rice told PolitickerNJ.com.

The districts targeted for "surge" Obama voters are driving the numbers up to best expectations, Rice maintains. 

"In district 7, for example, the mark at the end of the day for Gov. Jon Corzine in 2005 was 200 votes at 8 p.m.," said the councilman. "As of noon today, that same district is reporting 92 votes.

NEWARK - Overall turnout in New Jersey's largest city is hovering near 30% of where it was last year when Barack Obama ultimately racked over 77,112 votes, according to Democratic Party sources on the ground.

That is below the goal of 50% the Corzine campaign wants in Newark, where incumbent Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine won 39,573 votes in 2005.

A South Ward source says operations are "humming, not buzzing."

The Democratic incumbent's targeted Obama allies - so-called "surge voters" - are going to the polls, however, the response by regular registered voters in other South Ward districts is light so far, says the source.

Menendez addresses South Jersey labor this morning.

CHERRY HILL - U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez (D-Hoboken) campaigns in Camden County today for incumbent Gov. Jon Corzine.

"The eyes of the nation are on New Jersey," cries the senator at this labor rally behind Camden County Democratic Committee headquarters.

He forges the connection between GOP gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie and the man for whom Christie fundraised in the 2000 election before landing the job as U.S. Attorney as a returned favor from Bush.

"Are you going to vote for a Bush pioneer who will try to implement the same policies that led us into the worst economy since the Great Depression?" asks Menendez to scattered boos.

Sen. Robert Menendez (D-Hoboken)

A robocall from U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez (D-Hoboken) went out over the weekend targeting pockets of New Jersey's 500,000 registered voters who count themselves among the Latino population: Newark's North Ward, Elizabeth, Union City.

A second call will go out tonight, one in English and one in Spanish, broadening Menendez's reach into a combination of Latino and registered Democratic voters.

A third will go out tomorrow on Election Day.

"The senator has been very much engaged in the day-to-day operations of the Corzine campaign," said spokesman Mike Soliman. "He has been on the phone with the governor constantly and has attended events on behalf of the governor, both with him and as a surrogate, and he is looking forward to a victory with Jon Corzine tomorrow."

Menendez never headlined the kind of big tent Jersey City rally for Corzine in the closing days of the campaign that some party members say the governor needed to shore up a beleaguered - and gun-shy, following the arrests this past summer of numerous political operatives - lower Hudson County.