Wayne DeAngelo

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Gov. Jon Corzine is expected to seek re-election to a second term in 2009.

Look for former U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie to file papers this month as a candidate for the Republican nomination for Governor.   The former federal prosecutor is expected to become the establishment GOP candidate in a primary against former Bogota Mayor Steven Lonegan, the leader of the conservative wing of the New Jersey GOP.   Two other candidates, Assemblyman Richard Merkt and Franklin Township Mayor Brian D. Levine, are also mulling gubernatorial bids.

Incumbent Jon Corzine is expected to seek a second term as Governor, and is likely to run unopposed in the Democratic primary.  Not since Brendan Byrne faced nine rivals, including two Congressmen and a member of his own cabinet, in 1977 has a sitting Governor faced serious opposition for the nomination of his or her own party.  Corizne has struggled to win the approval of voters, but he's a Democrat in a very blue state, and he is expected to spend a huge amount of money to get re-elected.  It will be hard for any Republican to beat him.

If budget issues or e-mails make it impossible for Corzine to continue his race, look for a spirited Democratic primary with Senate President (and former Governor) Richard Codey as the front runner.

New Jerseyans will elect a Lieutenant Governor for the first time in 2009.  The new state law requires the winners of the major party gubernatorial primaries to pick a running mate, much like vice presidential candidates are designated after a presidential nominee is picked.

Republicans in the 14th  Legislative District will have to pull together a slate of challengers without former Mercer County GOP Chair Cathy Tramontana, the niece of former Hamilton Mayor Jack Rafferty. 

“I’m absolutely not running for the Assembly,” Tramontana, the Director of Health and Recreation in Hamilton Township,  told PolitickerNJ.com. 

Hamilton Township Councilman Tom Goodwin and Ewing businessman Adam Bushman have already said they don’t intend to run again against Assemblyman Linda Greenstein (D-Plainsboro) and Assemblyman Wayne DeAngelo (D-Hamilton).

Hamilton Township Councilman Tom Goodwin sent out a release today announcing he intends to seek re-election to the Hamilton Township Council in 2009, and therefore will not pursue another run for the Assembly in the 14th Legislative District. 

“It has been both flattering and humbling to have received sincere encouragement from present and former elected officials, state political leaders and so many friends and colleagues,” said Goodwin. “But four years ago we set out on a mission to improve Hamilton government and restore stability in our municipal business and that job is not yet completed. 

Goodwin ran on a Republican Assembly ticket with Jamesburg software engineer Adam Goodwin. Both men lost to the Democratic team of Assemblywoman Linda Greenstein (D-Monroe) and former Hamilton Councilman Wayne DeAngelo. At the top of the ticket, Goodwin and Bushman’s running mate, state Sen. Bill Baroni (R-Mercer) defeated former ratepayer advocate Seema Singh. 

Beaten last year in the 14th District Assembly race, Jamesburg software engineer Adam Bushman told PolitickerNJ.com that he is very likely to sit out a 2009 challenge of Assemblywoman Linda Greenstein (D-Monroe) and Assemblyman Wayne DeAngelo (D-Hamilton).

“I don’t think it’s going to happen,” said Bushman, who ran on a Republican ticket with state Sen. Bill Baroni (R-Mercer) and Hamilton Councilman Tom Goodwin in one of the state’s Clean Elections districts, in which candidates raised $10 per donor to qualify for the same amount of state money.

“I’m going to focus on finishing my PhD (in IT management) at this point,” said the former candidate, who has young children.

WISNIEWSKI/GREENSTEIN/DEANGELO/EVANS BILL TO GIVE TOWNS CONTROL OVER LOCAL TRAFFIC DECISIONS SIGNED INTO LAW

Measure Allows Towns to Move Forward without State DOT Approval

(TRENTON) –Gov. Jon S. Corzine has signed into law legislation sponsored by Assembly members John S. Wisniewski, Linda R. Greenstein, Wayne P. DeAngelo and Elease Evans to allow municipalities to control local traffic patterns by installing new traffic signs without approval from the state Department of Transportation (DOT).

“Local officials should have the ability to make traffic management decisions on local roadways,” said Wisniewski (D-Middlesex), chairman of the Assembly Transportation, Public Works and Independent Authorities Committee.

DeANGELO ISSUES MULTIMEDIA PACKAGE ON THE ECONOMIC BENEFITS OF 'GREEN' ENERGY & JOBS

(HAMILTON) - Assemblyman Wayne P. DeAngelo (D-Mercer) today issued a multimedia package on his efforts to enhance the state's economic outlook by pursuing environmentally friendly energy and job opportunities in the Garden State.

Hamilton Township Web site

Hamilton Councilman Tom Goodwin, who just narrowly lost a bid for the State Assembly in 2007, says he's considering running again next year

Hamilton Councilman Tom Goodwin, having narrowly lost his assembly race last year to Democrat Wayne DeAngelo (D-Hamilton), has not ruled out another run next year.

“I would have to sit down and analyze the situation now and going forward. I haven’t made up my mind yes or no,” said Goodwin. “I have to sit down and think about it. So right now I don’t have any decision.”

District 14, which encompasses the Trenton suburbs and is dominated by the working-class swing town of Hamilton, is one of the few split districts in the state, with Bill Baroni (R-Hamilton) in the state senate and DeAngelo and Linda Greenstein (D-Plainsboro) in the assembly. It is likely to be one of the top Republican targets in next year’s assembly election, although Greenstein, a long-time incumbent, appears a lot less vulnerable than the first-term DeAngelo.

GROWING PENSION SHORTFALL SHOWS NEED
FOR GREATER-THAN-EVER SCRUTINY OF INVESTMENTS

(14th Legislative District) - Following yesterday's announcement that the state's public employee pension fund has lost more than 25 percent of its value over the current fiscal year, Assemblywoman Linda Greenstein and Assemblyman Wayne DeAngelo said the numbers show the need for pension officials to take a more conservative approach when handling the $58 billion portfolio.

PolitickerNJ.com File Photo

Gov. Jon Corzine campaigning for Assemblywoman Linda Greenstein (D-Plainsboro) in 2005. Could Corzine's proposals for public employee givebacks and layoffs jeopardize Greenstein's 2009 re-election?

Governor Jon Corzine might help himself get re-elected by taking on state employees with a call to give back a 3.5% raise next year and possibly face substantial layoffs, but one place his proposal probably won't be well received is in the 14th legislative district, where a huge number of public sector employees reside.  That could be bad news for incumbents Linda Greenstein and Wayne DeAngelo, if state employees head to the polls next year angry with the top of the ticket.  The Mercer/Middlesex district is one of the most politically competitive in the state, and Greenstein and DeAngelo risk losing their State Assembly seats if their party is viewed as anti-state worker.

Assemblyman Wayne DeAngelo (D-Hamilton) knows that Republicans have him in their sights for next year, but says that this time is different: he’s a known commodity.

“Being in District 14 and in Hamilton Township where politics is very much independent minded individuals, I expect all races to be close,” he said. 

Close, but not like last year, when DeAngelo edged out Republican Tom Goodwin by about 700 votes, while his entrenched running mate, Linda Greenstein (D-Plainsboro), ran 3,000 votes ahead of him.