Voters don’t care if Gov. Jon Corzine picks a woman or a minority for Lt. Governor if he runs again next year, according to a Zogby International poll of likely voters commissioned by Garden State Equality.  Just 31% says a ticket balanced by gender or race is important, while 65% say it is unimportant. 

Among women voters, 58% say they don’t care if Corzine picks a woman running mate, while 37% say they do. 

Racial balance is more important to African American voters that Latinos: 66% of African Americans consider it important, while just 31% of Latino voters do. 

New Jersey’s most popular politician is Senate President Richard Codey, according to a new Zogby International poll released today.  Codey, who served as Governor from November 2004 to January 2006, has a 66%-17% favorable rating among New Jersey likely voters. 

Rick Malwitz’s column today in the Home News Tribune on George Zoffinger, the President of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, is a must read.  A sampling:  "(Dick) Codey's an idiot, and you can print that," says Zoffinger.  "In my 34 years in politics, I never met a more dishonest person than George Zoffinger," said Codey.

Joe Biden’s rise to the top of Barack Obama’s vice presidential short list could create a change on U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez’s staff.   Danny O’Brien, who became Menendez’s Chief of Staff in May, served as Biden’s Chief of Staff for several years before leaving to become Political Director of Biden’s ill-fated campaign for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination.  If Biden gets on the national ticket, O’Brien could wind up leaving Team Menendez, or at least taking a leave of absence.  And if Biden becomes Vice President, watch for O’Brien to drop Menendez quickly – either for an administration post, or for a lucrative private sector job with someone interested in influencing the Vice President of the United States.

In case you missed it: The Record’s reported on Friday that Gary Rose, who was a top economic advisor to Gov. Jon Corzine  until the start of this summer, owned stock in a company that benefited by a $1.5 billion bailout of the Meadowlands Xanadu project he influenced. 

In case you missed it: as Governor-elect, Corzine pledged a “zero tolerance” policy on members of his administration who personally profit off the workings of state government.

In case you missed it: in his inaugural address, Corzine told voters to “hold me accountable.”

In case you missed it: a recent Quinnipiac poll shows Corzine with an upside-down job approval rating.

In case you missed it: Republicans have not yet commented on the Rose story, although in fairness to them, it was a Friday!

A few things to watch for (in no particular order) this week, as local politics slows down and politicos prepare for national political conventions over the next two weeks: who will Democrats send to the State Assembly when they hold a special election convention to replace the guy who resigned because of his kiddie porn problem? Will New Jersey Republicans, including one who was appointed by the President, yell and scream about a top advisor to the Governor who , as The Record described it, “helped direct a $1.5 billion bail out of Xanadu while owning stock in a company poised to lose over a billion dollars if the Meadowlands project failed?”   Will vice presidential picks affect the battle for New Jersey’s fifteen electoral votes?  And will Democrats designate a replacement congressional candidate in the first district before the delegation leaves for Denver, or will they  wait until the September 17 deadline?

Former Passaic Mayor Sammy Rivera was sentenced to 21 months in a federal prison for taking a $5,000 bribe to steer public contracts. That’s the identical sentence given to former Marlboro Mayor Matthew Scannapieco, who took $245,000 in exchange for delivering contracts.

If the next Governor is Jon Corzine, Christopher Christie or Richard Codey, the embattled Roberto Rivera-Soto could be a one-term Associate Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court and Monmouth County Prosecutor Luis Valentin might be his replacement. There is nothing to indicate that Steve Lonegan would pick Valentin if he’s elected, but it’s a near certainty that Lonegan wouldn’t reappoint Rivera-Soto – or any other non-tenured member of the current top court.

In a takeoff of a Hillary Clinton television ad about who is best prepared to handle an emergency 3AM phone call, Unite Bayonne Today – which supports mayoral candidate Mark Smith – had developed an internet video that questions whether retired Judge Patrick Conaghan will be around to handle those middle of the night calls. 

Out of the public eye since Jim Florio lost re-election in 1993, Stephanie Bush-Baskette returned to a prominent role in New Jersey politics with her election last night as a Democratic National Committeewoman.  She defeated Christine “Roz” Samuels, a Montclair Democratic official and former Newark Teachers’ Union leader.

Bush-Baskette was 34-years-old when she first won public office in 1987.  She was elected to the State Assembly in the old Oranges district (Richard Codey was the State Senator) when the Essex County Democratic organization decided to drop five-term incumbent Mildred Barry Garvin.  Held in fairly high regard as a legislator, Bush-Baskette was re-elected in 1989 and 1991 with little trouble in a heavily Democratic district.