Samuel Plumeri

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Port Authority Police Superintendent Samuel Plumeri has won key support to become New Jersey's next U.S. Marshal

Samuel Plumeri, a former Mercer County Sheriff and Democratic County Chairman, is emerging as a leading candidate for U.S. Marshal, according to Democratic sources.  The current Marshal, James Plousis, a Republican and former Cape May County Sheriff, is expected to resign by Janaury 20, 2009, so that Barack Obama can nominate his own candidate, with the advise and consent of New Jersey's two U.S. Senators.  Sources say that Plumeri has the backing of Gov. Jon Corzine, and U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, though uncommitted, reportedly has no problems with Plumeri.  The state's other U.S. Senator, Robert Menendez, has not yet indicated a choice.

The 61-year-old Plumeri has served as Director of Public Safety and Superintendent of Police for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.  He joined the Port Authority as New Jersey Director of Government and Community Affairs in 2002 after narrowly losing a bid for State Senator to GOP incumbent Peter Inverso in 2001. 

One candidate worth watching is Jim McSorely, a retired State Police captain who is waging an impressive, low-budget campaign for Mercer County Sheriff. As a Republican, McSorley faces an uphill battle against incumbent Kevin Larkin in heavily Democratic Mercer County; the GOP has not won countywide since 1999.  But Larkin is a potentially flawed incumbent, and McSorley does not lack testicular fortitude.  A former aide to U.S. Rep. Christopher Smith, McSorley has inherited Smith's political organization in Mercer and seems to share Smith's skills of hard work and grass roots campaigning.  Back in 1980, Smith ousted a personally flawed thirteen-term Congressman with little money or organization.

One key Democratic leader says that the four-term Mercer County Freeholder Keith Hamilton is the clear front runner for the right to challenge Republican Assemblyman William Baroni in 2007.

The 52-year-old Hamilton has sought party support to run for the Legislature in each of the past four cycles, but without success. Democrats picked fellow Hamilton Township resident Gary Guear to run for the Assembly with Linda Greenstein in 1999 -- the year they unseated GOP incumbents Paul Kramer and Barbara Wright. Hamilton explored a challenge to Republican State Senator Peter Inverso in 2001 and 2003, but backed off when Democrats instead picked Sheriff Samuel Plumeri and former Assemblyman Anthony "Skip" Cimino, respectively. In 2005, Hamilton dropped his Assembly bid when party leaders decided to support Daniel Benson, a Hamilton Councilman.

To run for the Assembly, Hamilton will need to give up the Freeholder seat he has held since his 1995 election. Democrats suggest that his seat will go to another Hamilton Township Democrat, possible former Councilman Wayne DeAngelo.

Hamilton won the Mercer County portion of the 14th district (Hamilton Township and West Windsor) by wide margins in his 2001 and 2004 Freeholder races.

How do Sheriff's fare in their bids for higher office? Typically a Sheriff declines to give up the security of their office -- the last elected county law enforcement officials to lose re-election were Republican Joel Trella in Bergen County in 2004 and Democrat James Forcinito in Cumberland County in 1999. Despite the traditional popularity of a Sheriff, their successes in running for another office tend to be mixed. Republican Bill McDowell was elected Bergen County Executive in 1986 and Democrat Thomas D'Alessio captured the Essex County Executive post in 1990. Both served just one term: McDowell walked away on his own, D'Alessio taken out in handcuffs.

Gloucester County Sheriff John Hunt was elected to Congress in 1966 and served until Jim Florio beat him in 1974. Passaic County Sheriff Frank Davenport, a Republican, won a State Senate seat in a Democratic district in the Democratic landside of 1973. Cape May Sheriff Beech Fox lost a challenge to Democratic Congressman Bill Hughes in 1980. The last two Burlington County Sheriffs, Gary Daniel (1999) and Jean Stanfield (2003), have failed to unseat incumbent Democratic Assemblymen. Gilbert Lugossey, who retired as Mercer County Sheriff, lost a 1991 race for Mercer County Freeholder and a State Senate race to Republican Peter Inverso in 1997. His successor, Sheriff Samuel Plumeri, lost to Inverso in 2001.