House

GOP gubernatorial nominee Chris Christie, far left, sits with Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Paul Sarlo (D-Wood-Ridge) and Sen. Nia Gill (D-Montclair). U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-Paterson) appears at far right.

WAYNE - Gov. Jon Corzine's ceremonial swearing-in of Camelia Mercedes Valdes as the new Passaic County prosecutor this evening featured the shared-stage presence of Republican gubernatorial rival Chris Christie, who smudged somewhat the Democrats' hopes of a singular Corzine imprimatur on the first Latina prosecutor in New Jersey.

Although Wayne's solid GOP, this is a Democratic base country county, and for Corzine to have to worry about a split-screen effect with Christie had Democratic Party operatives quietly fuming up and down the wings of the auditorium here at the Passaic County Technical Institute.

Both parties credit Passaic County Democratic Party Chairman John Currie - who sat next to the governor during the ceremony as the counterpoint to Christie, who settled into a chair beside Senate Judiciary Chairman Paul Sarlo - with kick-starting the Valdes as prosecutor concept on marching order's from the Governor's Office to find a Latino(a) candidate for the vacancy.

The good news for Democrats in this county where Latino registered voters form well over a fifth of the voting population and where registered D's outnumber R's 78,009 to 47,498? Currie tracked down a hard-nosed white collar crime and financial fraud prosecutor with courtroom experience who was also Dominican American. They checked out the resume and to a man/woman the conclusion was competence. And then there was the history-making factor. Valdes would be the first Dominican-American lead prosecutor in the country, creating an opportunity for Corzine to oversee a Sotomayor scenario two months before Election Day in a state with a big and growing Latino voting bloc.

Mark Warren, a New Jersey Democratic political consultant, is the new Director of Candidate Services at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Warren has worked for numerous New Jersey candidates and has close ties to South Jersey Democrats.  In 2002, he was the campaign manager for Joseph DiVincenzo in a hotly contested Democratic primary for Essex County Executive.  According to an e-mail from Warren, his department "provides support and guidance for the campaign programs of Democratic Congressional candidates, Red to Blue candidates, and Frontline Members" and works closely with campaigns "to ensure their finance teams are adequately staffed and fundraising goals are met."

"He's one of the best. Meticulous to detail.  Smart, loyal, and knows the drill," Democratic strategist Steve Ayscue told PolitickerNJ.com.  "I've always been a huge fan of his."

U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-Paterson) today in Parsippany.

PARSIPPANY - Not street enough.

It's a common Democratic Party complaint leveled at Gov. Jon Corzine.

But in a rally flag speech at the Morris County Democratic Committee's picnic here this afternoon, guest U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-Paterson), a crusty former Paterson mayor who kicks off many of his public remarks with the tagline, "Once a mayor, always a mayor," said it's time for party members nursing dreams of an operator governor to get over any personality resistance they have to Corzine.

"I think we have a shot here," Pascrell told an outdoor crowd quietly wolfing hamburbers in a gazebo at Lake Parsipanny Park. "One thing you know about Gov. Corzine is with him in Trenton you have an honest governor. This is a governor who cut the state budget to make it smaller by $1.5 billion than when he first raised his hand as governor.

"He may not be Mr. warmth to you," the congressman added, "but I want someone in Trenton who's going to tell the truth. ...Jon Corzine is one of us. We prayed for him when he was in that accident. He needs us. He needs us to do more than pray. He needs us to go the extra mile for him."

“On the Record”

Political analysts Brigid Harrison from Montclair State University and John Weingart from the Eagleton Institute of Politics talk about the federal corruption bust and the governor’s race with host Michael Aron.

Airs: Sunday at 9am and 11am, Monday at 6:30 am on NJN

“Reporters Roundtable with Michael Aron”

Politifax’s Nick Acocella, The Record’s Alfred Doblin, Newjerseynewsroom.com’s Josh McMahon and I, Matt Friedman, discuss the corruption sting, lieutenant governor selections and the gubernatorial race more broadly.  

Airs: Sunday at 10am on NJN

“New Jersey Now”

Former Morris County Prosecutor and Democratic Strategist Michael Murphy and Republican Pollster Adam Geller discuss the federal corruption sweep in New Jersey; Bryan Miller of Ceasefire NJ and Attorney Gary Needleman debate the concealed gun law defeated earlier this week in the U.S.
Senate; and Dr. Evelyn Rodriguez and Ed Geisler of Healthcare Payers Coalition of NJ discuss President Obama's healthcare reform bill and its impact on the Garden State.

Airs: Sunday at 12pm on My9

“Fox News Sunday”

U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone (D-Long Branch) talks Health Care with host Shannon Beam.

Airs: Sunday between 12pm and 1pm

It is clear that Ocean County GOP Chairman George Gilmore had no idea that the feds were about to arrest Assemblyman Daniel Van Pelt (R-Ocean): just yesterday, Gilmore told PolitickerNJ.com that Van Pelt was a potential challenger to U.S. Rep. John Adler (D-Cherry Hill) in 2010.  The criminal complaint filed against Van Pelt seems to indicate that a challenge to Adler was something he was considering as recently as last May:

"Later, defendant VAN PELT further told the CW (Cooperating Witness) that he would assist the CW in Waretown, that the CW did not owe VAN PELT anything, and that VAN PELT wanted to see Waretown and the CW do well. In response to the CW indicating that the CW was willing to pay more money to officials, including defendant VAN PELT, for their assistance, defendant VAN PELT indicated to the CW that if VAN PELT ran for a seat in the United States Congress, they would talk."

Click here to view the full Van Pelt criminal complaint.

State Sen. Diane Allen, left, says she will consider a challenge to freshman U.S. Rep. John Adler, right, in 2010

Now that state Sen. Diane Allen (R-Edgewater Park) is no longer in the running for lieutenant governor, she's a top prospect to run against freshman U.S. Rep. John Adler (D-Cherry Hill) next year - at least among Burlington County Republicans.

"The organization would whole-heartedly support Diane Allen if she decided to run for Congress," said Burlington County GOP Chairman Bill Layton.

Allen, a moderate Republican who consistently wins reelection easily in a district with a two-to-one Democratic registration advantage, has fought bitterly over the years with former chairman Glenn Paulsen and more recently Layton, his close ally.  The party divide even sunk her fledgling bid for the House in late 2007, with the Paulsen/Layton faction instead recruiting Lockheed Martin executive Chris Myers, who became the nominee.

"Now is not the time in my life that I feel prepared to again fight a Democrat opponent as well as a rogue faction of the Burlington County Republican Party simultaneously," Allen said when she announced in late 2007 that she would not seek the open House seat>

But Layton says he's intent on letting bygones be bygones.

"In politics, sometimes you have your differences, but you put them aside and try to do the best thing for the party," he said.

Myers, who lost narrowly to Adler in 2008, may be in line for a state Senate seat if state Sen. Phil Haines (R-Springfield) is appointed to a Superior Court judgeship.  He would likely have a lot of support if he decided to run for Congress again, but he is not expected to.

Allen remains non-committal about running, but she leaves the possibility open.

"It is kind of early, and truthfully it's just nothing I've given any thought to," she said.

Allen said that her decision will depend on whether Adler does a good job addressing the district's issues.

Alan Bateman

As part of the cap and trade vote fallout, last year's 12th Congressional District general election challenger could be next year's 4th District GOP primary challenger.

Holmdel businessman Alan Bateman is now mulling a 2010 run against veteran U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-Hamilton), he told PolitickerNJ.com.

"He's done great work on the pro-life issue, but being pro-life doesn't make you a conservative," said Bateman, an ally of movement conservative Steve Lonegan who in last year's general election lost by double digits to U.S. Rep. Rush Holt (D-Hopewell Twp.).

Bateman's biggest beef is cap and trade, which Smith supported with an "aye" vote earlier this summer.

"Let's let the free market do its job," said the prospective challenger, the former deputy mayor of Holmdel whose home has been on the market for six months, who says he wants to move into the 4th Congressional District.

The Federal Election Commission ruled today that candidates may not use campaign funds to purchase clothing, but dismissed a complaint against U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews (D-Haddon Heights) alleging that he used $952.04 to buy clothes.

The complaint was filed last year by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), a watchdog group that promotes ethics and accountability.  The group filed a similar complaint against GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin that was also dismissed.

At the time the complaint was filed, a spokesman said Andrews hadn't actually used campaign funds.

Freshman U.S. Rep. John Adler (D-Cherry Hill) continues to be a fundraising machine.  According to numbers compiled by the National Journal, Adler has the highest cash on hand of any freshman member of the House, with $869275 in his war chest.  Adler was elected with 51% in 2008, becoming the first Democrat to win his district since Thomas Ferrell in 1884.

New Jersey's thirteen incumbent Congressmen, ranked in order of their war chests:

A Washington lobbyist will be holding a high-dollar fundraiser next month to help U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews (D-Haddon Heights) pay off his debts from an ill-fated surprise challenge to Frank Lautenberg (D-Cliffside Park) in the 2008 Democratic U.S. Senate primary.  The event, hosted by Heather Podesta, has a suggested contribution of $1,000 for individual sponsors, $2,600 for PAC sponsors, and $5,000 for co-hosts.

"If you have already maxed-out to Rep. Andrew's Senatorial campaign, you may donate to his Congressional campaign," Podesta wrote on an e-mail. "If this is the case, please make checks payable to ‘Andrews for Congress.'"