Barack Obama

U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-8), right, with U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ).: Politicker file photo 

On a regular basis now, Gov. Jon Corzine reminds audiences that he’s running for re-election. If he doesn’t end up running for whatever reason, U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-Paterson) says he wouldn’t mind personally stepping into the breach.

But whoever ends up out there on the barricade facing the GOP in a statewide race, Pascrell said his party should not fear likely Republican candidate U.S. Attorney Chris Christie, whom Quinnipiac University last week listed one point above the governor in a statistical tie - 41% to 40%.

Of his own gubernatorial run, "I would think about it very seriously," Pascrell said. "Right now I’m supporting the governor and I would urge him to run for re-election.

WEST ORANGE - Essex County Democratic Party Chairman Phil Thigpen, Gov. Jon Corzine and fellow party members huddled up in Pal’s Cabin this morning in a show of party unity as Team Essex heads into Denver in support of Sen. Barack Obama (D-Il).

This is the second time in as many weeks that Corzine has gone to Pal’s to help focus party members on getting Obama elected president. Last week the governor met with members of the Group, the chief fundraising arm for Sen. Hillary Clinton, which is now committed to Obama.

"This one was much more about elected officials and the county party apparatus," said Mark Alexander, senior advisor for the Obama campaign. "There were town chairmen and women, all showing the unity of Obama and Clinton. This was about creating a unified force in the party."

Senate President Richard Codey: Politicker file photo NEWARK - Senate President Richard Codey (D- Essex) stands by retired Gen. Wesley Clark as his top choice to complement a ticket with presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama.

Codey called for Clark as his party’s vice presidential candidate months ago, at a time when the four star general appeared to be on Obama’s short list.

The Clark buzz died after Obama publicly disassociated himself from remarks Clark made on a TV interview show.

"He got into trouble when he questioned whether (presumptive Republican presidential nominee John) McCain’s experience getting shot down in Vietnam qualified him to be president," Codey recalled.

Sources in the Barack Obama campaign say that veteran Newark operative Pablo Fonseca "is in the mix" to serve as political director for the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.

Fonseca works as Newark Mayor Cory Booker's chief of staff.

Last month, the campaign selected labor leader Tricia Mueller as the campaign's state director, and Bob Decheine, chief of staff to U.S. Rep. Steve Rothman (D-Fair lawn), as senior advisor. 

Since last year, Booker has served as co-chair of the Obama campaign in New Jersey, along with Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy. 

The big money Democratic Party fundraisers who backed Hillary Clinton in the primary but have now committed to supporting Barack Obama, accepted an invitation to fly out to Chicago Monday to sit down with Obama’s campaign manager.

There’s a Jersey connection there, as David Plouffe managed Bob Torricelli’s successful U.S. senate campaign in 1996.

Those members of the "Group" who plan to head to Obama’s Midwest base of operations for a three-hour confab include Zenon Christodoulou, Al DeCotiis, John Graham and William Harla.

"We were asked to come out by the campaign so that they could introduce us to all of the main people they want us to get to know in the head office," said Christodoulou.

U.S. Rep. Steve Rothman (D-Fair Lawn): Politicker photo 

TEANECK - Barack Obama may compromise on some issues, but John McCain is a straight-up foot soldier for the oil barons, according to U.S. Rep. Steve Rothman (D-Fair Lawn) and state Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Teaneck).

In anticipation of McCain’s landing Tuesday in Bergen County, Rothman and Weinberg criticized the presumptive Republican presidential nominee for accepting 33 oil and gas industry lobbyists as campaign advisors, laying out an energy plan that gives Exxon Mobil $1.2 billion in tax breaks, and accepting $2 million in contributions from Big Oil.

"‘Exxon John’s’ energy policy includes nearly $4 billion in tax cuts to the top five oil corporations, complained Rothman, who stood in the Teaneck Marriott beside a super-sized $2 million check made out to "Exxon John" and signed by Big Oil.

The amount is seven times what Obama received from people connected to the industry, said Rothman, the only member of the New Jersey congressional delegation who supported the Illinois senator for president during the Democratic primary.

Bob Decheine, left, and U.S. Rep. Steve Rothman in Teaneck today.: Politicker photoTEANECK - Among those backing up U.S. Rep. Steve Rothman (D-Fair Lawn) at today’s press conference on the eve of Sen. John McCain’s (D-Ariz.) visit stood Bob Decheine, Rothman’s chief of staff.

Decheine was in the running to be Obama’s state director, a contest he ultimately lost to union leader Tricia Mueller.

But as chief of the only member of New Jersey’s congressional delegation who endorsed Obama in the Democratic Primary, Decheine landed a position with the campaign as senior advisor.

"This is a big job we have to get done," Decheine told PolitickerNJ.com.

He said he appreciated the opportunity to meet Mueller for the first time when the new state director went to Washington last month to meet with Decheine in person.

U.S. Rep. Albio Sires (D-West New York) in his new district office in Journal Square.: Politicker photo 

JERSEY CITY - The Democrats have the economic argument on their side in this presidential year, in part because they’re more in touch with a broad swathe of the country’s population, argues U.S. Rep. Albio Sires (D-West New York).

In a small but significant example, Sires says the Republican Party does not have a diverse caucus in the U.S. Congress like the Democrats, and that has made the GOP gradually more isolated.

"When you look at our caucus, you see everyone," says the freshman congressman. "Then you look at the Republicans, and they’re all the same."

It’s a striking snapshot to Sires, who represents many ethnic communities in his 13th Congressional District.

Frank Lautenberg has an 18-point lead over Dick Zimmer in New Jersey's U.S. Senate contest: Getty Images Photo
A Rasmussen poll shows Sen. Frank Lautenberg hitting the 50% mark that pundits say is so crucial for any reelection effort.

The survey puts Lautenberg at 51% to Zimmer’s 33%. That’s up two points for Lautenberg last month, when Rasmussen put him at 49% to Zimmer’s 36%. Lautenberg is supported by 78% of the state’s Democrats, while Zimmer is backed by 72% of Republicans. Lautenberg has a commanding lead with the state’s unaffiliated voters, besting Zimmer 45% to 28%.

Meanwhile, Barack Obama continues to have a high single-digit lead over John McCain.

Obama State Director Tricia Mueller: Politicker file photoNEWARK - Tricia Mueller, state director of the Obama campaign, is meeting here today with Mayor Cory Booker to begin coordinating campaign efforts for the Nov. 4th presidential contest.

"The mayor’s one of the early principles in the race," Mueller said of Booker’s out of the gate 2007 endorsement of the Illinois senator and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.

"Newark is going to be very important to us," Mueller said of New Jersey’s largest city where there are 57,337 registered Democrats.

"Mayor Booker and I will be looking at how we’re going to move forward to make sure that Newark comes out big for Obama," she added.