Payne is N.J.'s most vulnerable

The most vulnerable member of the New Jersey congressional delegation in 2008 is Donald Payne, a ten-term Democrat from Newark who won 97% of the vote in his last contested race. The 72-year-old Congressman has found himself on the wrong side of an Essex County Democratic political battle, and continues to anger some party leaders by the independent candidacy of his brother, Assemblyman William Payne, 74, in a race for the State Senate.

Payne's nephew, Craig Stanley, was defeated in a Democratic primary for State Assembly last week in a district where he was a six-term incumbent. Two other Payne-endorsed legislators, Oadline Truitt and Wilfredo Caraballo, also lost re-election in the primary. But another Payne candidate, State Sen. Ronald Rice, narrowly held his seat against a challenge from the political organization of Newark Mayor Cory Booker.

Democratic sources say that Essex County Democratic Chairman Philip Thigpen, who is Payne's cousin, is slated to be replaced.

"I was surprised to see Congressman Donald Payne at the State Democratic Fundraiser with Bill Clinton, especially because money raised that evening will be used to elect Democrats around the state including Teresa Ruiz in her fight against his brother, a third party candidate, William Payne," Phil Alagia, the Executive Director of the Essex County Democratic Committee and the Chief of Staff to County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo, told PoliticsNJ.com.

In April, Booker refused to commit to supporting Payne for re-election next year, and political insiders suggest that the list of Democrats growing tired of the Payne political organization is rapidly increasing. Booker's alliance with Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy, who is expected to be elected Hudson County Democratic Chairman tonight, increases the chances of Payne losing suport of the Hudson organization as well. (Booker endorsed and campaigned for Healy's Senate candidate, Sandra Bolden Cunningham, in the 31st district Democratic primary.)

Essex County makes up 60% of the district, while Hudson is 10% and Union County is 30%. (Union County Democratic Chairwoman Charlotte DeFilippo sided with Booker in the recent Democratic primary; Hillside, DeFilippo's home town, is in the Newark-based 29th district.)

One Democratic leader suggested a possible challenger to Payne: Elnardo Webster, a 38-year-old former professional football player and one of Booker's closest friends. Webster played All-State football at St. Peter's Prep in Jersey City and was an All-American football player at Rutgers. He played professional football for the Pittsburgh Steelers before an injury prematurely ended his career. He returned to Rutgers to get an MBA and a law degree, and worked for a politically active law firm, Sills Cummis Radin Tischman Epstein & Gross, before forming a new firm with Booker after the 2002 election. He played a major role in the election of Glenn Cunningham as Mayor of Jersey City. Webster also has a sort of political pedigree: his father played professional basketball (in the old ABA) and is a former Hudson County Freeholder.