John Graham

The Rev. Reginald Jackson of Orange was one of six Group fundraisers who went to Chicago on Monday.: Politicker file photo 

Six members of the New Jersey fundraising outfit formerly known as "the Group" toured the Obama mothership in Chicago on Monday and interfaced with some of the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee’s top staffers.

Zenon Christodoulou, Al DeCotiis, Hugh DeFazio, John Graham, Bill Harla, and the Rev. Reginald Jackson spent three hours in Sen. Barack Obama’s (D-Il.) main campaign headquarters, which houses the political activity of some 450 people, according to DeCotiis.

"We told them we’re going to work with our existing operations and that we intend to bring in all of the Clinton finance supporters for full impact," said DeCotiis.

The big money Democratic Party fundraisers who backed Hillary Clinton in the primary but have now committed to supporting Barack Obama, accepted an invitation to fly out to Chicago Monday to sit down with Obama’s campaign manager.

There’s a Jersey connection there, as David Plouffe managed Bob Torricelli’s successful U.S. senate campaign in 1996.

Those members of the "Group" who plan to head to Obama’s Midwest base of operations for a three-hour confab include Zenon Christodoulou, Al DeCotiis, John Graham and William Harla.

"We were asked to come out by the campaign so that they could introduce us to all of the main people they want us to get to know in the head office," said Christodoulou.

Obama backer Michael Passante, right, and North Ward Democratic leader Steve Adubato, who supported Clinton in the primary.: Politicker photo

WEST ORANGE - A group of onetime Hillary Clinton fundraisers today committed to raising dollars for Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign, according to a release issued by Richard McGrath, spokesman of the Democratic State Committee.

"Democrats in New Jersey are unifying behind Barack Obama in every way under the leadership of Governor Corzine," said party chairman Joe Cryan. "We are supporting him with financial resources, political organization and grass roots activism. We are one party behind one candidate. This commitment from these top fundraisers is another big step towards victory in November."

Those who breakfasted with Gov. Jon Corzine and Cryan at Pal’s Cabin included Obama State Director Tricia Mueller, and Obama Policy Director Mark Alexander. Joining them were about ten former Clinton backers, each of whom pledged to raise $10,000 or more within the next few days, said Cryan.

Gov. Jon Corzine on Monday evening in Essex with freeholders Blonnie Watson, left, and Carol Clark.: Politicker photo 

The paneled surroundings of Pal’s Cabin have turned rancor to languor in the case of many an Essex County political rivalry, enabling the likes of North Ward Democratic leader Steve Adubato, for example, to occupy the same friendly booth as his old political foe, Senate President Richard Codey (D-Essex).

So it’s unsurprising that neither Democratic Party fundraiser John Graham, a former Hillary Clinton supporter, nor Obama Campaign policy director Mark Alexander decided to convene in Pal’s for their continuing discussions about statewide campaign fundraising.

On Tuesday, they intend to meet in the West Orange watering hole with Gov. Jon Corzine between them. Alexander’s hoping the history Corzine has with Obama (they go back to Obama’s Senate primary campaign) will help him focus Graham and Graham’s allies.

Caren Turner, a Democratic fundraiser for Hillary Clinton, could back John McCain for President
Lifelong Democrat Caren Turner doesn’t plan to vote for Democrats out of a sense of nostalgia. In fact, she’s not sure she’s going to vote Democratic in the coming presidential election.

Turner, a Hillraiser who worked as part of the powerhouse New Jersey fundraising arm called the Group, was among those Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) holdouts who yesterday took part in a feel-out session with a surrogate of Sen. John McCain’s (D-AZ).

Of the group formerly known as "The Group," Michael Kempner last month indicated his absolute adherence to the Obama campaign, as did the Rev. Reginald Jackson; John Graham and others last week sat down with Mark Alexander, senior policy advisor to Obama.

When it comes to presumptive Democratic Party presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama (D-Il.), Graham and others are getting there, and they plan a unity bash for State Party Chairman Joseph Cryan next Thursday.

It’s difficult to find a Clinton supporter who was as stout during theJohn F.X. Graham primary as New Jersey fund-raiser John F.X. Graham, who took his presidential candidate’s loss especially hard.

One of the key members of "the Group" - a conglomerate of Hillary Clinton champions with deep pockets and access to donors with even deeper ones - Graham found it particularly tough to stand at attention within the ranks of Obama backers when the Clinton campaign finally raised the white flag.

In an interview with PolitickerNJ.com two weeks ago, the fund-raiser in fact cringed at the idea of making an easy transition to the team of Clinton’s conqueror.

Hillary Clinton’s top fundraisers in New Jersey want Barack Obama to John F.X. Grahamoffer their vanquished candidate the vice-presidency in a show of respect to her and her 18 million supporters.

"If I don’t see the respect for Hillary Clinton, I will vote for him, but will I be a proactive person? No," said John Graham, national co-chair of fund-raising for the Clinton campaign and one of the money men in that small and powerful circle of Clinton fundraisers in New Jersey known as "The Group."

"Respect is offering her the position with her right of taking it or not taking it," Graham explained. "He can win without her, but Hillary in the picture gives him Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Florida."

Emerging from the shadow cast by John Kerry’s 2004 presidential loss and after vetting a number of the 2008 hopefuls, The Group came together with the express purpose of raising enough money to get Clinton elected president.

Sen. Bob Menendez, earlier this year with Hillary Clinton: Getty Images Photo
No longer as involved in the day-to-day mechanics of local politics, Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) in back to back statewide elections has proved to be his party’s New Jersey go-to guy.

The former mayor of Union City got out the machine-backed Feb. 5 vote for Clinton with a war cry - "We have an opportunity in Hudson, Hudson, Hispanics, Hillary and history." And leading up to June 3, he helped U.S. Rep. Steve Rothman (D-9) stare down a party uprising in Bergen County that might have weakened crucial organizational support for U.S. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.)

Clinton won by ten points here with significant Latino support, and Lautenberg buried U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews (D-1) yesterday, 61-34%.

John F.X. Graham 

At a campaign event in Passaic on Monday night, Clinton fund-raising co-chair John F.X. Graham predicted a victory for his presidential candidate.

"I think it’s going to be the best thing for New Jersey to have someone who’s going to help our state the way she will when she gets in there and gets elected," Graham said. "Hillary Clinton is the most qualified from day one to lead this country, and she will do it. She’ll do a great job."

Robert Kennedy, Jr. in Passaic on Monday night, flanked by U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, left, and Assemblyman Thomas Giblin.

Arguing that his presidential candidate possesses a unique combination of toughness and persuasive power, Robert Kennedy, Jr. electrified a tent-ful of fellow Hillary Clinton supporters on Monday night at a private home in Passaic.

"I was very skeptical at first because I knew she was coming in under the same charges as my father did, which were that she was a carpetbagger," Kennedy, a Westchester, N.Y. resident, said of Clinton’s appeal to him when she first prepared to run for his father’s old Senate seat.

Kennedy said Clinton faced tremendous hostility, especially in traditionally Republican upstate New York - where a Senate candidate must win if he or she is to win the state, in Kennedy’s words.