Although Hudson County Democrats made a big show on Tuesday of supporting U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton as their choice for president, the battle for who will win the Democratic presidential nod in New Jersey is likely to pit Hudson County’s most powerful political machines against each other.
The press conference to announce the endorsement for Clinton in Hoboken included Gov. Jon Corzine (who is apparently looking for a cabinet post), U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez (who appears to have his eye on becoming NJ governor) and every mayor from Hudson County except for Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy. Even Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise brought his contingent of support to Hillary.
The press conference was most notable for the fact that State Sen. and Union City Mayor Brian Stack and state Sen. and North Bergen Mayor Nicholas Sacco stood on the same platform after more than a year of being political enemies.
Both run powerful political machines, and their sudden union shows how much the presidential election will play in local politics.
Freeholder Maurice Fitzgibbons, who serves as chairman of the Hoboken Democratic Organization, pointed out that the press conference also brought together most factions of Hoboken politics. So Councilwoman Beth Mason stood side by side with political guru Michael Lenz. Lenz is a strong supporter of Hoboken Councilwoman Dawn Zimmer, whose supporters have sometimes been at odds with Mason’s supporters because both women may run for mayor of Hoboken in 2009 under the reform mantle.
Two co-sponsors for the event were activist Ann Graham and Hoboken Councilwoman Terry LaBruno, representing possibly as diverse a political spectrum in Hoboken as you can get.
Notably absent was Hoboken Councilman Michael Russo, who has already declared his support for U.S. Senator Barack Obama.
This is not a bad thing for Russo, since he has always had a reputation as a maverick.
The other significant official not at the Hoboken press conference was Jersey City Councilman Steve Fulop. But since he is already so widely associated with the Clinton Campaign, he didn’t need be.
Top Hudson politicos go for Clinton
For Obama, Fulop and Stack pose one of the central weaknesses of his campaign in New Jersey.
While the Obama strategy for winning the state is to control the urban districts such as Camden, Newark, Paterson, Trenton, Jersey City, Dover, and elsewhere, his campaign is also focused on bringing younger people into the elective process.
Here in Hudson County, Fulop and Stack are considered the next generation of Democratic leaders, and both are committed to Clinton. This means that a large percentage of young professionals here may follow their lead.
Even Jersey City Councilman Steve Lipski, who previously said he would support Obama, showed up at the Clinton press conference in Hoboken.
This change may hint at a rift between Lipski and Healy.
While Lipski claimed two weeks ago that he still had a place on Healy’s 2009 mayoral ticket, reports since suggest that Healy is looking elsewhere.
Obama could win county
But Clinton supporters have a lot to worry about. Obama’s strategy for winning the city centers appears to be working. Healy has a very powerful political machine, and combined with the power of state Sen. Sandra Cunningham, who is an Obama delegate, Hudson County could turn into Obama country, despite the impressive showing in Hoboken in favor of Clinton.
Reports claim Healy and Newark Mayor Cory Booker are willing to throw a lot of money behind the Obama effort. This will be street money, to pay workers to get out the word on Obama and when the time comes to get voters to the polls.
While unfortunate death of Bobby Jackson after an Obama rally two weeks ago will hamper Cunningham’s getting the vote out, Jersey City Councilwoman Viola Richardson is a powerful force in the Jersey City African-American community, and you can bet she will be working hard to make sure Jersey City falls into the Obama column on election night.
As united as the other Democrats are behind Clinton, the real fight in the Feb. 5 presidential primary will be Jersey City against Union City, and which side can get the most votes out.
While Sacco can get voters out for his own elections, some believe he will not be much of a force in this campaign.
Unlike last June’s primary, where each side won their own district, the Stack machine will go head to head with the Healy machine in determining if Hudson County will go for Clinton or Obama.
Some believe a plurality of votes in Hudson County could decide which candidate will take home most of the delegates from New Jersey.
Is the civil war on or off?
Two theories have surfaced regarding the recent so-called end of the Democratic civil war.
Freeholder Maurice Fitzgibbons, who will likely have Hudson County Democratic Organization support in the June primary for his Hudson County freeholder seat, believes that Stack – his former ally in last year’s Democratic civil war – will not support a ticket, and that candidates such as Sean Connors in Jersey City and several candidates in Bayonne will be running on their own.
But behind the scenes, other political observers claim the war has grown less obvious, and that Stack is quietly mounting a freeholder ticket. Candidates have already been approached in Secaucus and Bayonne.
Stack apparently snubbed the HDCO last week when he declined to show up to the swearing in for County Executive Tom DeGise.
This move was in part because the HCDO invited Jose Falto to the event. Falto, who was recently appointed to the board governing the Hudson County Schools of Technology, is rumored to be seeking HCDO support in the June primary against Stack Freeholder Tilo Rivas.
Stack is apparently also upset with Bayonne Freeholder Doreen DiDomenico for her supporting in getting Falto elected to the Schools of Technology board, and he could back one of the alternative Bayonne candidates against her.
A slight mistake
Bill Gaughan, chief of staff to DeGise as well as a Jersey City councilman, had a verbal mishap at DeGise’s swearing in when he mistakenly called U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg “a congressman.”
Senator Lautenberg quickly retorted in his address by calling Gaughan “ex-councilman.”
DeGise, seeking to make peace, called Lautenberg, the “former vice president,” then gave sage advice to Gaughan that if you are going to err on a title, always give the person a bigger title.