Gay Mayor Will Challenge Kean Jr

by: Juan Melli

Wed Dec 06, 2006 at 12:03:23 PM EST

The Inside Edge reports that Gina Genovese, the openly gay mayor of Long Hill, will challenge State Senator Tom Kean Jr, who has yet to publicly state his sexual orientation:

New Jersey's first openly gay Mayor is expected to run for State Senator next year against incumbent Thomas Kean, Jr. Gina Genovese, the Democratic Mayor of Long Hill, has been preparing for a campaign against Kean since the summer, according to local Democratic leaders.
Genovese comes from Morris County, which represents only a small part of the 21st district. She must still win the backing the Union County Democratic organization, which typically decides who will run in this fairly Republican district. But in 2003, attorney Ellen Steinberg easily won the Democratic primary for State Assembly running off of the organization line.

Juan Melli :: Gay Mayor Will Challenge Kean Jr

Tags: Gina Genovese, Tom Kean Jr, (All Tags)

Print Friendly View

Send As Email

Gay Mayor Will Challenge Kean Jr | 2 comments

NJL-21 (0.00 / 0)

The 21st is a Republican-leaning district that comprises upscale suburbs in Eastern Union, Essex, Somerset, and Morris County. The average resident of the district is white, college-educated and works in New York, and has children in a private or public Ivy League feeder high school. The district itself is home to two Universities (Drew and FDU-Florham in Madison NJ) and a number of strong public and private High Schools.

In 2004, Bush carried the district 52-47. The next year, Forrester carried it 51.5-46. Kean carried it over Menendez 54-46 this year. It is one of only eight districts where Forrester '05 outpolled Bush '04. It boasts among the highest voter registration and turnout rates in the state. Moderate Republicans do well here. In the '80s and '90s, this area was the stomping ground of moderate Republican Bob Franks, and Tom Kean Sr. carried Union County in both of his Gubernatorial races. Bret Schundler, on the other hand, got trounced in Union County.

Long Hill Township is one of the more Republican towns in the district. It is rich (median household income $42,613), but much of the district is richer. Millburn's median household income is a staggering $76,796, making it the most affluent municipality in the district and the 6th richest in the state. Curiously, it is also solidly Democratic; both Kerry and Corzine won here by more than ten points, and Menendez carried the town as well. The next most affluent municipality that is so Democratic is Princeton Township ($56,360). The common denominator is a general distaste and distrust for social conservativism.

The upshot? Genovese's best chance of winning is to portray Junior as far to the right on social issues.

by: Scott Weingart @ Wed Dec 06, 2006 at 18:20:38 PM UTC

GO!!! GINA!!! GO!!! (0.00 / 0)

I think that I predicted something to this effect the day that Gina was elected Mayor of Long Hill Twp..

There is no doubt that this will be an uphill fight, but if there is any Democrat in the state who has a chance in hell of pulling off an upset like this, it is Gina.

I hope that progressives throughout Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union, and Warren Counties put this race at the top of their electoral agenda in 2007.

by: Bertin Lefkovic @ Wed Dec 06, 2006 at 21:27:04 PM UTC