George Norcross

Sen. President Richard Codey (D-Essex) in Newark with Mayor Cory Booker and Council President Mildred Crump.

ORANGE - Politics here invariably comes back to the state’s most popular politician, former governor and Senate President Richard Codey (D-Essex), who grew up across the street from the city’s other favorite son, Two Ton Tony Galento.

"With Tony, what you saw was what you got," Codey recalls.

A rotund puncher who trained on spaghetti and beer, what that got Galento was a fourth round technical knockout at the hands of heavyweight champion Joe Louis, and a subsequent supporting role as a heavy in "On the Waterfront."

South Jersey Democrats threw a punch at Chris Myers today, just as the third district Republican congressional candidate was getting ready to hold a press conference hitting back at Jack Kelly, his Republican rival for the nomination.

Burlington County Democratic Chairman Rick Perr today slammed Myers as a “pawn” of Republican bosses for accepting money from the “Corrupt Burlington County GOP Machine.”

At issue are two donations that show up in Myers’s Federal Election Commission filings: $2,300 from former Burlington County Republican Chairman Glenn Paulsen, and $2,300 former Burlington County Bridge Commission Chairman J. Garfield DeMarco.

Earlier this week, Assemblyman Paul Moriarty announced that he wouldn’t stand for reelection for his other elected office: mayor of Washington Township (the one in Gloucester County).

The announcement came less than a week after Moriarty’s name surfaced as a potential replacement for first district Rep. Rob Andrews, who’s vacating the seat to take on incumbent Senator Frank Lautenberg in the June primary.

George Norcross, one of New Jersey's most powerful Democratic insiders, has endorsed Barack ObamaBarack Obama today picked up the support of two super delegates from New Jersey as several major Democratic leaders in South Jersey announced that they would switch their endorsements from Hillary Clinton to Obama. Super delegates Donald Norcross, who had previously been uncommitted, and State Sen. Dana Redd, who had backed Clinton, are now for Obama. This is a net pickup of two super delegates for Obama and a loss of one for Clinton.

Obama also won the backing of one of the state’s most powerful political insiders, George Norcross, and was endorsed by Clinton backers, including Senate Majority Leader Steve Sweeney, Democratic County Chairmen James Beach (Camden), Rick Perr (Burlington) and Michael Angelini (Gloucester), Camden Mayor Gwendolyn Faison, State Sen. Frederick Madden, and Assemblyman Paul Moriarty

Three days before the New Jersey primary, Hillary Clinton's lead has gone from 34 points to just 6: Getty Images Photo
Hillary Clinton’s lead over Barack Obama in New Jersey has narrowed to 44%-38%, according to a private poll commissioned by one of the state’s most powerful Democratic leaders, George Norcross. The poll, conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner on January 30-31, was distributed to some Norcross allies earlier this morning and obtained by PolitickerNJ.com.

Click here to view Stanley Greenberg's polling memo.

Dick Codey will stay on as Senate PresidentSouth Jersey Democratic leader George Norcross will support Richard Codey for re-election as State Senate President, according to several sources close to Norcross and Codey. There is also considerable speculation that South Jerseyan Stephen Sweeney will be the new Senate Majority Leader.

Voting at Seton Hall Preperatory School in West Orange, Senate President Dick Codey was the center of attention, drawing a small media contingent to watch him enter and leave the booth.  Senate Minority Leader Leonard Lance, on the other hand, didn’t get much attention. 

It was a contrast in celebrity.

“Tell Senator Codey I’m envious,” joked Lance.

But the two have one thing in common – there’s been speculation that they could lose their leadership positions in the Senate.

There is no shortage of people whose political careers will be affected by the outcome of tomorrow’s General Election, where voters will cast ballots for forty State Senate seats, eight Assembly seats, two County Executive posts, control of county governments in Atlantic and Monmouth, and key mayoral races.

This is PoliticsNJ.com’s list of the Top Twenty Stakeholders in the 2007 General Election.

Political reformers don't make many friends among their fellow elected officials in this state. The moment someone tries to stand above the fracas is when that person becomes a target of both parties - and the bosses behind both parties.

Sen. Ellen Karcher ousted Republican Co-Senate President John O. Bennett II, after beating George E. Norcross’ candidate in the Democratic primary, Oceanport Mayor Gordon Gemma.  Norcross tried to bring Karcher into his fold and she wouldn't budge. Instead she forged an alliance with Senate President Richard Codey.

This week, Karcher is in trouble in her re-election bid, with some polls showing her six to nine points behind Republican Assemblywoman Jennifer Beck. Despite the Karcher campaign's efforts to drag Beck's numbers down with New York market attack ads the campaign has run since October 15th, Beck's campaign isn't crumbling, or showing any signs of fissure.