Buono (D-Middlesex) voted against landmark overhaul of health care benefits and pensions for state employees that was approved in June
State Sen. Barbara Buono speaks on the floor of the of the Senate in this 2010 file photo. Senate Democrats recently tried to overthrow Buono, an outspoken critic of Gov. Chris Christie and nemesis of Senate President Stephen Sweeney, in her capacity as majority leader.TRENTON — Democratic infighting spilled over into the state Senate hours before the polls opened Tuesday as a group of lawmakers moved quietly to try to topple state Sen. Barbara Buono from her post as majority leader.
The possible overthrow of Buono, an outspoken critic of Gov. Chris Christie and potential challenger in 2013, comes a week after Assembly Democrats decided to oust Joseph Cryan (D-Union) as majority leader and made an unsuccessful run against Speaker Sheila Oliver (D-Essex).
Buono (D-Middlesex) and Cryan both bucked the party and voted against the landmark overhaul of health care benefits and pensions for state employees that was approved in June with the support of Democratic leaders.
Buono also clashed publicly with Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester) as the pension bill worked its way through the Legislature, rallying crowds of union workers outside the Statehouse and taking to the Senate floor to criticize "backroom deals" that shaped the measure.
Some Democrats worked behind the scenes Tuesday to replace Buono as the No. 2 Senate leader with the veteran state Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen), and a formal vote was to be held Thursday. Both Weinberg and Buono declined to comment on the jockeying.
State Sen. Donald Norcross (D-Camden) — one of six South Jersey senators who tend to vote as a bloc — declined to say whom he supported.
"I am with the Sweeney organization and I will be talking with the Senate president immediately following the election to see what direction we’re going in," Norcross said.
Sweeney declined to comment on the developments within his caucus.
The battles behind closed doors between Buono and Sweeney are an open secret among political insiders, and replacing her could ease party tensions. Buono’s ouster could also hamstring her career at a time when few Democrats are lining up to challenge Christie in 2013.
Like Buono, Weinberg is a prominent Christie critic, but she harbors no plans to run against the governor and gets along well with Sweeney.
"We adore Loretta, and this is not about her," said Lisa Mizrahi Kaado, president of the Women’s Political Caucus of New Jersey, an advocacy group. "This is really about preventing one woman from advancing by using another woman to block her."
The political calculus could still break Buono’s way when the Democrats elect their new leadership team tomorrow. Indeed, a handful of senators, including Nicholas Scutari (D-Union) and Linda Greenstein (D-Bergen) said last night that they were undecided and could end up supporting Buono.
"I like Barbara, but we’ll see what happens," Scutari, who is chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said. "These leadership positions do change."
Assemblywoman Nellie Pou (D-Passaic), who was headed toward election to the Senate last night, said, "No one has reached out to me about a run against Senator Buono."
And when asked whom she would support, she said, "I think Senator Buono will be the majority leader."
State Sen. Richard Codey (D-Essex), a Buono supporter who was ousted as Senate president two years ago, said the effort to remove her was an act of retaliation by the Democratic bosses who — along with Sweeney and Christie — also supported the pension and benefits legislation.
"If there’s dissent, there is a price," Codey said. "Whether it’s real or not, or if it’s just sending a message, who knows?"
By Salvador Rizzo and Matt Friedman/Statehouse Bureau Staff