Albio Sires

Hundreds of Perth Amboy residents, several legislators, four mayors from neighboring towns, two congressmen and one U.S. Attorney filled the local high school’s auditorium to near capacity today to inaugurate the city’s new mayor, Wilda Diaz, for a four year term.

Diaz, the first female mayor of Perth Amboy and first Latina mayor in the state, won an upset victory against 18-year incumbent Joe Vas, who remains an Assemblyman. Also sworn in today were Diaz’s two council running mates, Kenneth Balut and Fernando Gonzales.

U.S. Rep. Albio Sires, who faced a primary challenge by Vas for his seat in 2006, introduced Diaz to a standing ovation.

Diaz, 43, began her speech by thanking Vas for his service as mayor, and acknowledged his role in the waterfront development that has revitalized parts of this old this old, industrial town of 48,000.

U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) basks in victory on Election Night in Newark.

The trouncing Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) gave U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews (D-1) last week sends the South Jersey congressman to the back of the line among those Democratic members of the congressional delegation intent on succeeding the 84-year old senator.

It depends on the region where the question is asked, of course, but among those eyeballing Lautenberg’s seat, the names of U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone (D-6), U.S. Rush Holt (D-12), and U.S. Rep. Steve Rothman (D-9) surface more frequently than U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-8), U.S. Rep. Donald Payne (D-10), and U.S. Rep. Albio Sires (D- 13).

New Jersey’s Democratic Congressional delegation issued a scathing statement on Rob Andrew’s Senate candidacy today, saying that he broke his pledge to fully support incumbent Sen. Frank Lautenberg for reelection and that his conduct has been “both outrageous and unacceptable."

Six of the state’s seven Democratic Congressmen -- Frank Pallone, Bill Pascrell, Steve Rothman, Rush Holt, Albio Sires and Donald Payne -- co-signed the statement, in which they called on their Democratic colleague to drop his candidacy.

"It is now clear that Congressman Rob Andrews has failed to gain thenecessary support to realistically compete in this race, and therefore, we urge Congressman Andrews to end his campaign,” they said.

The congressmen, four of whom are interested in succeeding Lautenberg some day, also argued that Andrews’s primary challenge will weaken the eventual Democratic nominee against his Republican challenger.

TRENTON - As Democrats gear up for a bruising senate primary season, unofficial congressional filing results with the state Division of Elections show no same-party challengers to incumbent Democratic congressmen.      

Only in the 1st District, where Democratic U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews is vacating his seat to challenge U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg in the primary, are there several hopefuls battling for what Andrews leaves behind.

Six Democratic Congressmen have endorsed Frank Lautenberg for re-election to the U.S. Senate: Getty Images Photo
All six of Rob Andrews' New Jersey House colleagues have endorsed Frank Lautenberg for U.S. enate, and have pledged to run on his line in the June 3 Democratic primary.

"Frank Lautenberg is New Jersey's senator and we stand with him. He delivers for New Jersey in the U.S. Senate and is invaluable to our state. That is why we will run in our home counties on the same line with Senator Lautenberg in the Democratic primary," said Frank Pallone, Donald Payne, Bill Pascrell, Steve Rothman, Rush Holt and Albio Sires in a joint statement. "Senator Lautenberg's leadership is critical to New Jersey's future. We urge our colleague, Rep. Rob Andrews, not to run for U.S. Senate."

U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg addresses the crowd as Gov. Jon Corzine looks on.

TRENTON -- Burnishing his blue collar roots and seniority in Washington, U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg today launched his re-election bid at the Trenton Marriott, promising to lead the fight for New Jersey's working families.

"I will build on my work of the last few years, to stand strong against those who attack our values that short change our state and to deliver the results that improve people's lives," said Lautenberg, who was first elected to the Senate in 1982.

The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) issued a release today taunting Linda Stender, candidate for New Jersey's 7th Congressional District, on the issue of Congress’ re-authorization of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).

The GOP suggests that the Democratic candidate is pretzeled by campaign contributions she has taken from trial lawyers. Stender, the NRCC contends, "has yet to say where she stands on the recent actions by the Democrats in Washington to play political games instead of protecting America’s security.

U.S. Rep. Albio Sires today responded to the news that Cuban President Fidel Castro has stepped down from power.

"It makes it perfectly clear that he’s very ill, and he’s not competent enough to run the country, otherwise he would not have given up the reins of 50 years," said Sires. "All the speculation of the last months that he’s coming back, I think we can put that to rest."

Sires, who was born in Cuba and immigrated to West New York as a child, said he hopes the end of the Castro era leads to democracy and free elections.

The Hudson County peace agreement was meant to be formalized in Jersey City today, with virtually every major elected official in the county coming together the put the Hudson County Democratic Organization (HCDO) together again.

This morning, citing scheduling conflicts among several officials, the HCDO postponed the event to an unscheduled time next week. But multiple sources say that the real reason the presser was cancelled was because the most important player – Union City Mayor and State Sen. Brian Stack – refused to attend.

Hudson County Democratic Organization Executive Director Craig Guy said, however, that Stack did not refuse to attend the press conference.

There are no plans to get Hillary Clinton back in New Jersey for Super Tuesday, but her campaign made the best of their New Jersey resources to start their final push towards the primary.

With the Barack Obama campaign gaining momentum in the state, Clinton's New Jersey all stars began their statewide bus tour this morning at the Brownstone Diner and Pancake Factor in downtown Jersey City - deep in the territory of Mayor Jerramiah Healy, one of Obama's chief backers. 

The rally was not completely without reminders of who the mayor of the town supports.  Just before the rally began, a white van sat out front with a sign on its side reading "Save America, vote Obama."  But before most of the Clinton-backing politicians arrived, the van drove off and its parking spot was filled by the SUV of the local congressman, Albio Sires.