 |
Radio silence from Plainfield Assemblymand and Union County Dem chair Jerry Green as Murphy sweeips the field. |
BREAKING: Sweeney cries uncle -- see here.
Will Plainfield Assemblyman Jerry Green, who is also chair of the. Union County Democratic Committee, lose his mojo if he is the last to back Phil Murphy for governor?
The 77-year-old Assemblyman, currently the longest serving in the Assembly (he will mark 24 years at the end of his current term in 2017), serves as that body's Deputy Speaker pro-tempore.
As of Thursday, Newark mayor Ras Baraka and Middlesex County chair Kevin McCabe will endorse Murphy. At noon, they will be joined by the chairs of Bergen, Hudson, Passaic, Hunterdon, Morris, Sussex and Warren counties.
On Friday, endorsements are expected from Essex and Mercer county Dems. Mercer is the power base of Plainfield's congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman.
So far, absolute radio silence from Union County and Assemblyman Green.
These endorsements look to make Murphy unbeatable as the Democratic candidate for governor in the 2017 race, unseemly as it is for this to be decided before the presidential election taking place November 8.
In fact, PolitickerNJ reports that discussions are already under way as to how the spoils of victory are to be divided (Green's name is not mentioned) -- see here.
Green, who has been under South Jersey boss George Norcross' thumb ever since Norcross "wheeled" $130,000 to Green for Sharon Robinson-Briggs' 2005 mayoral campaign, finds himself between a rock and a hard place.
In addition, he has to deal with Union County's powerful Sen. Ray Lesniak, who has said he also wants to run for the guv seat.
Green sent a letter to Union County party chairs last month, deriding Plainfield Mayor and Dem chair Adrian O. Mapp, who had the temerity to endorse Jersey City mayor Steve Fulop for governor. (Fulop withdrew from consideration suddenly last week.)
The whole situation also throws into sharp relief the several factions in Union County.
Could Green not only be in trouble with losing his Trenton muscle, but even in danger of a realignment in Union County that would leave him on the outside looking in?
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment