Girgenti not running

by: Rosi Efthim

Tue Apr 05, 2011 at 12:35:46 PM EDT

News of a few minutes ago, via politicker, John Girgenti will not pursue re-election.

Girgenti has had a year-plus of hard blows. His statement on the Senate floor on December 7, 2009 sent shockwaves through the thousands of marriage equality supporters who filled every room in the State House, and its annex, and immediately vaulted him to the top of a priority list to challenge and replace.

Bergen Record columnist Charles Stile called Blue Jersey's own Jeff Gardner, a bona fide giant slayer for doing just that, when Jeff's opening volley was to challenge Girgenti for control of the Hawthorne Democrats, which the senator led for a long time as Municipal Chair. That party contest showed mastery of grassroots organizing on the part of Jeff, and his team, many of whom are also regular participants in the Blue Jersey community.

Jeff's party victory in the hometown he and Girgenti share was a wound to the long-time senator and Passaic County Democratic powerhouse. And it showed considerable progressive muscle.

Before redistricting redrew New Jersey, Jeff anticipated his next contest - the big game - would be a matchup against Girgenti for their district's Senate seat. Redistricting changed all that. Jeff, proclaimed a redistricting "Winner" in Stile's column this morning, is now a candidate for Assembly in the new LD-38. (Have you been to Jeff's new facebook page?)

Girgenti's, redistricted away from the town he was born in - Paterson - and the fact that the state Attorney General is investigating his ties to the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commissioners were two of the last blows.

Girgenti has served in the Senate for 21 years. His history is long and distinguished. Perhaps some of his constituents here would like to weigh in.

Rosi Efthim :: Girgenti not running

Tags: featured, PolitickerNJ, John Girgenti, jeff gardner, (All Tags)

Print Friendly View

Send As Email

Girgenti not running | 3 comments

I am surprised... (0.00 / 0)

...that Girgenti never considered running for re-election in LD38 as a Republican. He has far more in common with them than with Democrats, and in a district that will be as competitive as LD38 will be this year, he probably would have had a better chance to beat Bob Gordon that way than if he had run against him in the Democratic primary.

While I am sure that the Bergen County Republicans will have no problem recruiting candidates to run in this district, Girgenti would probably have been positioned as well if not better than anyone that they will recruit, particularly from a fundraising perspective..

by: Bertin Lefkovic @ Wed Apr 06, 2011 at 00:29:58 AM UTC

Ouch. (0.00 / 0)

I'm not sure I'd characterize Girgenti as having more in common with the Republicans than the Democrats. That might be an overstatement, methinks.

It's not a particularly snappy signature, but here's what I think we need in the next NJ Democratic State Chair.

by: Rosi Efthim @ Wed Apr 06, 2011 at 01:16:47 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

medisagrees (0.00 / 0)

When Bob Gordon's Republican opponent is announced, it would be interesting to see whether Girgenti has more in common with her/him than Gordon, who interestingly enough was one of many former Republicans that party bosses like Joe Ferriero and John Currie embraced over the last decade or so. However, unlike most former Rs turned Ds, Gordon seems to have truly embraced our party's principles, not just its bosses and the party's endorsements/lines that they can deliver.

Girgenti might not be the equivalent of a Michael Doherty or a Gerry Cardinale, but he is also probably to the right of Bill Baroni and Bob Martin and Bill Gormley and Jen Beck and Christie Whitman and Tom Kean and maybe even Tom Kean Jr. and other moderate Republicans on most issues. The big difference between them and Girgenti is that he never had to concern himself with Republican primary voters. Then again, thanks to machine politics, he never had to concern himself with Democratic primary voters either.

If Girgenti had considered it (and I am curious to know if he had and if he had, why he dismissed the idea) and the BCRO was open to it (there can be no doubt that the PCRO or at least the Peter Murphy-wing of the PCRO, which is undoubtably its scarier wing, would have welcomed him with open arms), I do not think that Republican and conservative-leaning independent voters in the district would have had a hard time pulling the lever for him based on his voting record.

by: Bertin Lefkovic @ Wed Apr 06, 2011 at 08:17:08 AM UTC

[ Parent ]