Even without Munoz, Dems view 21st as unwinnable

Democrats do not view the race for State Assembly in the 21st district as winnable even with the death of popular Assemblyman Eric Munoz (R-Summit) and are unlikely to put up much of a fight in November against the winner of a special election convention to fill the vacant State Assembly seat.  Munoz and Assembly Minority Whip Jon Bramnick won re-election by more than 10,000 votes in 2007.

District 21 has not elected a Democrat since 1989, when then-Union County Freeholder Neil Cohen beat former Westfield Mayor Ronald Frigerio for an open Assembly seat.  The district was politically competitive in the 1980's and included Cranford, Garwood, Hillside, Kenilworth, Roselle, Roselle Park, Springfield, Union and Westfield.  That year, Assembly Speaker Chuck Hardwick (R-Westfield) gave up his seat to run for Governor and was replaced on the ticket with Frigerio.  After he lost the gubernatorial primary, Assemblyman Peter Genova (R-Union) dropped his re-election bid and Hardwick was able to return to the Legislature.  Cohen beat Frigerio by nearly 3,300 votes.

Redistricting in 1991 made the 21st considerably more Republican.  Kenilworth, Roselle Park, Springfield and Union were put in a district with eight towns in suburban Essex County.  Assemblyman Maureen Ogden, who had represented the 22nd district for ten years, ran with Essex County Freeholder Monroe Lustbader.  They ousted Cohen by a margin of over 13,000 votes.  After the election, Cohen moved from Union to Roselle and returned to the Assembly in 1993 when he won a seat in the neighboring 20th district.

Lustbader's death after a lengthy battle with cancer led to the election of Kevin O'Toole, the Chief of Staff to Essex County Executive James Treffinger, in a 1996 special election convention.  O'Toole moved up to the Senate in 2001, paving the way for Munoz to win a State Assembly seat.