January 23, 2007 - 5:40pm
Dems still trying to agree on Epps' replacement
By Wally EdgeThe Hudson County Democratic Organization will almost certainly dump Assemblyman Charles Epps from their ticket, but party leaders have not yet agreed on who will replace him. Democrats close to Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy (who is expected to become Hudson County Democratic Chairman in June) are pushing Freeholder Jeffrey Dublin for the post, but other Democrats -- especially Assemblyman Louis Manzo -- want former Jersey City Council President L. Harvey Smith, who served briefly in the State Senate (following the resignation of Joseph Charles) and as Mayor of Jersey City (following the death of Glenn Cunningham).
Smith has been angling to run against Healy for Mayor in two years. Healy could use the Assembly seat as a way of ending Smith's City Hall aspirations, or it could backfire by making Smith a more formidable opponent. Smith had the HCDO backing when he lost a 2003 Senate primary to Cunningham, and fared poorly in his bid for Mayor in a 2004 Special Election.
In the 31st district, the HCDO support is no longer tantamount to a primary victory. Sandra Cunningham, the widow of the late Mayor and State Senator, has been mulling a challenge to incumbent Joseph Doria. Possible Assembly candidates on her ticket include Jersey City Councilwoman Viola Richardson, who has a strong base in Ward F and had beaten the organization before, and former Bayonne Municipal Court Judge Patrick Conaghan, who forced Doria into a runoff last year.
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Interesting occurrences in the shadow of my favorite highway...
Interesting occurrences in the shadow of my favorite highway...
Doria vs. Cunningham is interesting and a challenge for Doria. Doria would need 40% of the vote to be from Bayonne and to get over 60% of this vote to have a chance to eke out the smallest of margins. He'd also need 43% in Jersey City in a 23,000 vote race. If he is held to 55% in Bayonne, or 40% in Jersey City, he's done.
**** I'm not convinced that Mrs. Cunningham is as strong in JC a
****
I'm not convinced that Mrs. Cunningham is as strong in JC as she thinks she is. Many of the mayor's old supporters have come back to the organization.
Of course, I'm also not sure that Doria is up to a challenge. His mayoral campaign was completely lackluster.
****
Mr. Democrat- Yeah that container port issue really excited me..
Mr. Democrat-
Yeah that container port issue really excited me...NOT!
The ability of the HCDO to keep this from turning into a countyw
The ability of the HCDO to keep this from turning into a countywide brawl is important in this election. I still don't think Mrs. Cunningham will run but if she does decide to, it won't be as easy as she might think. Lou Manzo's hustle in the HCDO Column is a major plus. Doria has kept intact a well organized GOTV operation that was tested three times last year and came up winning three times.There's no benefit for any Bayonne politician to support Mrs. Cunningham - people can smell the revenge motive and they generally don't like it. Doria, Manzo and Dublin looks like a winner. Doria, Manzo and Smith less so simply because Harvey lacks the killer instinct. There's rumour of another Jersey City ticket in formation in the air too. Perhaps Dr. Epps may run after all...
*** Healy desperately wants "his guy" Dublin in the 31st. Curre
***
Healy desperately wants "his guy" Dublin in the 31st. Currently, Joan Quigley in 32 is the only legislator in Hudson that's absolutely loyal to Healy.
I don't doubt that he wants to dump Epps for Dublin, but I think the real question is whether he has to cut a deal with Mrs. Cunningham or Doria to get his man.
You can't discount the racial politics. Doria/Manzo/Dublin is an all white male ticket.....and a lot of folks won't be happy with that.
*****
Which Jeff Dublin are you talking about???? www.hudsoncountynj.
Which Jeff Dublin are you talking about????
www.hudsoncountynj.org/.../JeffreyDublin.htm
Northern- my mistake, I read a previous post that I (wrongly) th
Northern- my mistake, I read a previous post that I (wrongly) thought insinuated that he was white. Having said that, I'm sure Epps is on his way out for Dublin.