dana redd 
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Wed Sep 19, 2007 at 03:36:10 PM EDT
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When 2007 began, women held just 23 of the 120 seats in the New Jersey Legislature. That's only 7 women in the Senate out of 40, and only 16 Assemblywomen out of 80. Of those 23 female legislators, 16 were Democrats, including 5 of the 7 Senators.
What a difference a day week year can make. Turns out, my predictions last week kinda sorta came true, with the recent unpleasantness producing two brand new Assemblywomen, Elease Evans (LD-35) and Mila Jasey (LD-27), and a very likely winner this fall added to the 38th District ballot, Connie Wagner.
Add them to primary winners earlier this year - likely future Senators Dana Redd (LD-5), Teresa Ruiz (LD-29), and Sandra Cunningham (LD-31); and likely future Assemblywomen Cleopatra Tucker (LD-28), Grace Spencer (LD-29) and Caridad Rodriguez (LD-33), and suddenly, the Legislature is starting to feel a little more estrogenated. Without a single upset in November, we're already looking at a record 10 women in the Senate (8 of them Democrats), and a record 21 women in the Assembly (16 of them Democrats).
That's right - there will be more Democratic women in the legislature next year than there are women total there now. Historic, yes. But, still nowhere near where we ought to be.
Of course, there's still more story to tell, because it wouldn't be election season if there weren't a cool upset or two brewing. With a record number of women challenging Republicans all over the state, how many more women do you think can land in the legislature next year?
*Take the poll* on the flip (and share the reasons for your votes in the comments):
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Mon Jul 02, 2007 at 07:45:58 PM EDT
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Diversity has come slowly and painstakingly to the New Jersey state legislature, no doubt, a legislative body that often serves as a pipeline to NJ's congressional delegation. Some with little conscience for social justice might say "we" are post-race or post-gender and thus shouldn't even bother with a diary about this kind of thing, but we progressives know better, especially in the wake of the recent Supreme Court decision that, for all practical purposes, overturns the 1954 Brown decision.
In the state senate, the new gender breakdown among the minority membership of the upper chamber will be radically altered, and not just the minimum 4-3 split. It could likely be an even more significant 5-2. It would be yet another sign of the turnover this election cycle, and points to one more way the dynamic in the Statehouse will be different come January '08.
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Wed Jun 20, 2007 at 09:13:56 PM EDT
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New Jersey State District 5 and District 6 are two districts which aren?t usually seriously considered in terms of Republican opposition, but I thought I would spotlight some of the political views of the Republican challengers to Joseph Roberts, Nilsa Cruz Perez and Dana Redd (District 5), and Lou Greenwald, Pamela Lampitt and John Adler (District 6). The resources that I consulted for this primer on Republican opposition are priceless for voter information; Project Vote Smart provides in-depth questionnaires, speeches, interest group ratings and other valuable tools in gauging a candidate?s view, and New Jersey voter info also outlines major state races, highlights district demographics and voter rolls, and much more.
First up is District 6 senate challenger Joseph Adolf, who lost his challenge to Adler in 2003 and is back for more misery in this Camden County district which has a 2-1 Democratic advantage over Republicans. Adler is a well-respected state senator, who serves as Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee in the senate and has been named one of the ten best legislators by New Jersey Magazine. A quick perusal of Adolf?s stances is a truly disturbing experience, though, and belies any credible claim that Adolf et al are ?moderate? Republicans. For Adolf, if you?re a woman, and you get raped, the government has the right to force you to bring the fetus from conception to birth; in other words, all abortions, even for incest or rape, must be illegal for Adolf. Moreover, colleges should not take race or ethnicity into account at all in admissions, physician-assisted suicide should be illegal, and not only should gays not be allowed to marry but also the state?s civil union law should be abrogated.
Though Assembly candidate Bradley Mattson of Cherry Hill has refused to answer the Vote Smart candidate questionnaire, Haddonfield resident and perennial candidate Joann Gurenlian has, and several of her views are also disconcerting. Gurenlian is ?moderate? on reproductive choice in comparison to Adolf in that, thankfully, raped women or victims of incest are allowed to terminate their pregnancy in her view, but no woman in the first trimester, unless her life is in danger, is allowed to terminate her pregnancy. She does not support increased funding for Head Start programs in the state, despite educational benefits that could be accrued, she shamefully doesn?t support the inclusion of sexual orientation in New Jersey?s anti-discrimination laws, and she doesn?t support an increase in the state minimum wage.
To be fair, in comparison to the 6th district?s Gurenlian and Adolf, 5th district Assembly candidate Jonathan Mangel is indeed more moderate in his positions , but even a pro-choice sympathizing candidate such as Mangel doesn?t support physician-assisted suicide and is unsure if he even supports the current inadequate civil unions law. His fellow Assembly candidate Edward Torres, a Camden resident, has, like Mattson, thus far not completed the Vote Smart questionnaire. But the 5th district Republicans, who didn?t bother to field a candidate in this heavily-Democratic district in 2005, have found quite a gem in former tobacco company salesman Hans Berg. If Berg is moderate, as the Camden County Republicans contend their candidates to be, then Rick Santorum is a Democrat. Some of Berg?s more interesting views include his call to eliminate all government funding for public education; his stance that all abortions, including for rape and incest, must be illegal; his support for a constitutional amendment that restricts the civil rights of gays and lesbians by curtailing the definition of marriage; and his call to eliminate all government funding for environmental preservation.
These are the best and brightest that the Republican Party is offering in the 5th and 6th districts, respectively, this election, and their views are surely anything but moderate. In fact, all of them, except for Mangel (who knows what the evasive Mattson and Torres think), support the reallocation of welfare funds to religious groups and private charities, just as Pres. Bush believes. Finally, one strategy that the N.J. Republican Party makes and that each candidate here embraces is lowering taxes, from sales taxes to property taxes to vehicle taxes and much more ? but they are so dishonest with the voters in that they don?t provide a single specific way that they would pay for these changes. If Forrester?s free ride ?30% in 3 Years? property tax slogan, which was to be paid for with more state debt, presumably, rings a bell, then you?re onto the same dishonest campaign strategy. But perhaps that?s what one gets with the ?reform-minded,? ?moderate? 5th and 6th district Republican challengers.
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Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 08:03:54 AM EST
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An update about the Wayne Bryant juggernaut coming to an unceremonious ending. This one looks to the future a bit. Soon Bryant'll be an after thought and I will no longer be obliged to write updates about his nincompoopery. In any event, I have heard some good stuff for Dana Redd who's poised to take Bryant's place.
New Jersey lost a rock and roll legend yesterday. Bill Chinnock was an early member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band. The pInky describes Chinnock as "a key figure in the Asbury Park music scene that propelled Springsteen to stardom."
In response to recent scandals involving the BurlCo bridge commission, Sen. John Adler has a plan. The commission hates it which probably means it's a good idea.
Frank LoBiondo is calling for the Army's surgeon general to resign in light of the Walter Reed implosion. Of couse if heads are gonna roll LoBiondo might do well to take his frustrations out on his own political masters in the White House, IMHO.
Switching gears to the topic of hot-tubs. With hookers or without. Make sure you've had your coffee first. The first article is especially salacious, even by Garden State standards.
Before you go to sleep tonight, don't forget to Spring your clocks ahead by an hour.
So tell me Blue Jersey, what's on your mind today? Last one to comment is a rotten egg!
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