Governor moves in on longtime political stronghold led by nemesis Menendez
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Gov. Chris Christie discusses matters with West New York Mayor Felix Roque after swearing him in May 26, 2011 outside West New York City Hall.WEST NEW YORK — Republican Gov. Chris Christie was deep behind enemy lines in the Democratic bastion of Hudson County on Thursday night, but he wasn’t undercover or even unwelcome. In fact, he was the guest of honor, invited to ceremoniously swear in newly elected West New York Mayor Felix Roque, a Democrat.
After finishing the oath of office, Roque turned to the crowd and said: “This is like a dream come true to have the governor — the governor, ladies and gentleman, of New Jersey! — here with us in West New York.”
Christie later stepped down from the stage and, instead of scurrying toward his black sport utility vehicle, plunged into the crowd — shaking hands, kissing grandmothers, posing for pictures.
Christie’s presence was a direct shot at his political nemesis, U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), the king of Hudson County politics who enthusiastically backed the incumbent mayor that Roque ousted and who faces re-election himself next year.
It was also the latest example of how the Republican governor is stirring the pot in this fabled Democratic stronghold, drawing city mayors into his fold and undermining the powerful Hudson County Democratic Organization.
“To go for the jugular there is a testimony to Christie’s political brassiness,” said Montclair State University political science professor Brigid Harrison. “He’s willing to go into the belly of the beast.”
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Gov. Chris Christie swears West New York Mayor Felix Roque May 26, 2011 outside West New York City Hall.Besides Roque, Thursday night’s ceremony was stocked with Democratic Christie allies, including Union City Mayor Brian Stack — also a state senator — and Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer.
All three mayors have butted heads with the Hudson County Democratic Organization. In recent interviews, all three said they would consider backing Christie in a re-election run — no small matter in a county where mayors can mobilize powerful grassroots organizations.
Jose Arango, who has slogged through more than a decade as Republican chairman in a county where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans six to one, is thrilled.
“Not since Tom Kean” — who in 1985 became the only Republican governor in recent memory to win Hudson County — “have we seen the reception we’re getting here,” Arango said. Asked if Christie was making inroads, he simply took stock of who was in the crowd: Christie, not Menendez; the Republican chairman, not the Democratic chairman.
“It’s a reality,” he said. “You can see it. You can touch it.”
DIVIDE AND CONQUER
Dating to the days of boss Frank Hague in the first half of the 20th century, Hudson County has been known as a Democratic power base, churning out huge votes for the party. But it’s also famous for bitter family feuds, presenting Christie with an opportunity to divide and conquer.
“There’s always factions fighting each other there. And if you’re willing, you can take advantage of it,” said William Palatucci, Christie’s friend and political adviser. “Governor Kean did it very well, and Governor Christie is doing the same.”
At the very least, Christie’s visits have the Democratic establishment on edge, said Jersey City Councilman Steve Fulop, who is planning a run for mayor in 2013.
“Every time he comes here, he sends the Hudson County Democratic Party in a frenzy,” he said. “Christie is not delusional in thinking that he can win Hudson County, but if he can peel off votes, that’s a success.”
Asked Thursday if he could turn the county Republican red, Christie said, “I don’t know about that. That’s a little ambitious even for me.”
Former Gov. Jon Corzine trounced Christie with 68 percent of the vote there in 2009. But political analysts said victory isn’t the goal — it’s disruption.
“What the governor is doing here is a little bit of triangulation, trying to maintain that division within the Democratic Party,” said political scientist Joseph Marbach, provost of La Salle University. “Anything the governor can do to cause dissension in the ranks will pay off in the long run.”
Kean praised Christie’s efforts but said it’s always tricky dealing with the county’s famously tumultuous political scene.
“You have to know exactly what you’re doing,” he said. “It’s a bit of a minefield.”
A ‘HISPANIC GOVERNOR’
So far, Christie is working most closely with politicians who have defied the Hudson County Democratic Organization. That includes Roque, an Army reservist and doctor, who said he first met with Christie 18 months ago.
Roque led a recall petition against former West New York Mayor Sal Vega, then beat him in the city’s nonpartisan election on May 10. Christie sent two aides to Roque’s private swearing in ceremony on May 17, the new mayor said.
Then two days later, the governor joined Roque and Stack for an espresso at Las Palmas, a popular Cuban restaurant, in a highly public show of support. In an interview later, Roque called Christie — who is Irish and Italian and doesn’t speak Spanish — the “first Hispanic governor of New Jersey.”
Stack, who made headlines earlier this year by calling Christie “the greatest governor this state has ever had,” led an insurgency against the Hudson County Democratic Organization in 2007. Although there’s been a sort of détente, Stack isn’t sure how long that will last.
“This is like the Cold War between the Russians and the U.S.,” he said. “Something’s going to happen.”
Assemblyman Jason O’Donnell (D-Hudson), an ally of county party chairman and Bayonne Mayor Mark Smith, downplayed the fault lines, saying “Hudson County remains as strong of a Democratic stronghold as it has been.” Smith did not respond to messages.
Longtime political consultant Paul Swibinski also questioned the governor’s moves.
“A Chris Christie endorsement is quite unpopular in Hudson County,” he said.
Swibinski doubted Christie can damage Menendez on his home turf when the senator is up for re-election next year.
“The only real question going into those elections is turnout, and I don’t think Christie can do anything about that,” he said.
Menendez, who won Hudson County with 76 percent of all votes cast in 2006, declined to comment through a spokeswoman.
The Hudson Democrats say Christie’s attempts to win friends may pay off with endorsements in a 2013 re-election campaign, but stressed that’s a long way off.
“If the election was tomorrow, yes,” said Zimmer. “But there’s two more years. A lot can happen in two years.”
-By Jarrett Renshaw and Chris Megerian/Star-Ledger Staff