Jim McGreevey

Rob Andrews, the South Jersey congressman who is challenging Senator Frank R. Lautenberg in New Jersey's June Democratic primary, just appointed his campaign chairman: Michael Murphy, the stepson of former Governor Richard J. Hughes (who served two terms from 1961 to 1969) and himself a candidate for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in 1997.

Murphy is generally one of the good guys in New Jersey politics, but apparently he's had quite a change of heart when it comes to Andrews.  read more »

Here is former NJ Governor Jim McGreevey about to sign a copy of his book after speaking to the Stonewall Democrats at the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center in Manhattan yesterday.

Now that he's out of office with no plans to return, I asked him what he thought of the Democratic gains in Albany and Washington and what he thought the impact would be on the push to legalize gay marriage.

"I think it will happen in New York," he said. "And it will be on a priority list. I mean, there are a number of other challenges that are clearly eminent and pressing but I think it will happen."

On the federal level: "In Congress, I don't see it happening. I think there will be a number of employment anti-discrimination bills are passed that are very important."

He also said, "I think the employment discrimination and the federal anti-bullying legislation and also certain tax legislation I see as being critical."

When someone in the crowd of about 50 people asked about the legitimacy of outing closeted elected officials who actively work against gay rights -- as McGreevey did when he opposed same-sex marriage -- the former governor told the crowd it would be more effective to "go and talk to those officials who are closeted. Tell them that you are going to survive the other side of the divide."

There's more from McGreevey here [audio].

Dept. of Estimates: A reader who was at the event said that according to the group's sign-in sheet, there were 150 people in attendance. -- Azi Paybarah

By the time former New Jersey Governor James McGreevey took the podium to make his spectacular resig  read more »

By the time former New Jersey Governor James McGreevey took the podium to make his spectacular resig  read more »

New Jersey’s Democratic elite has developed a well-worn reputation for cockiness.    read more »

New Jersey’s Democratic elite has developed a well-worn reputation for cockiness.  read more »

I'm not sure it qualifies as politics-related at this point, but in case you missed it and you're still at all curious... here's Jim McGreevey on Oprah.

-- Azi Paybarah

Speaking of New Jersey governors, it seems that Jim McGreevey has made his way deep enough into the popular consciousness that he's become a cheap laugh-line in a Daffy's ad campaign. (via Gawker)  read more »

We finally got a chance to watch Streetfight, the award-winning documentary about Cory Booker's losing 2002 run for Mayor of Newark.

The movie presents really overwhelming evidence, in case you needed it, of Newark Mayor Sharpe James's abuse of power. At one point, the Mayor is heard saying "I don't want you putting me on camera...next time, we'll take the camera," at a public event; moments later, a thug in a red James campaign hat pushes the camera to the ground.

Later, the hapless, out-of-the-loop James press secretary, Rich McGrath, tries to explain to the filmmaker, "It just makes us look terrible... These guys, I tell you they are, they've got this thing about the press."

Al Sharpton and Jim McGreevey do themselves no favors with enthusiastic endorsements of James, whose campaign consisted in large part of branding Booker variously a Republican, Jewish, white, and gay.

At one point, a frustrated Booker bangs on the table and, jokingly, concedes, "I'm a tool of the Republican Party."

Which gives his press secretary, one Jen Bluestein, clad in a pink blazer we know we've seen somewhere before, the chance to deliver the second-best line of the film:  read more »

"I thought you were a tool of the Jews."

New Jersey is starting to look like the red state next-door, as yet another poll shows President Geo  read more »

Charles Kushner, the Port Authority commissioner who is New Jersey Governor James McGreevey's choice  read more »

The incoming chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey will recuse himself from deci  read more »