Assemblyman Craig Coughlin (D-19) today officially declared that he will be running for Speaker of the General Assembly. The Assemblyman announced that he has gained the public support of more than half the members of the caucus and is confident that additional members will be joining his efforts in the coming weeks.

His list of supporters consists of 28 names.

“I am truly humbled by the support, encouragement and commitment that so many of my colleagues have openly displayed over the last few months since I have undertaken this journey,” said Coughlin. “I have been meeting, listening and learning from my Assembly colleagues and look forward to continued conversations regarding the important issues facing their individual districts and our State.”

There have been some wobbly caucus members afraid of committing one way or the other, and still others resistant to having to wade into a speaker’s fight at this juncture – prior to a primary.

Assemblyman Jerry Green (D-22), Speaker Pro Tempore and Chairman of the Union County Democratic Organization affirmed that he and members of his delegation will be supporting Assemblyman Coughlin in his bid for Speaker. “My Assembly colleagues and I are firmly supporting Craig for Speaker. We are confident that Craig will be the type of leader who will listen, be inclusive and bring unity and direction to our caucus. He understands the challenges facing our State and believes the only way to overcome those challenges is to work with every member of the caucus, to strive for consensus and to agree on solutions that benefit every resident of this great State.”

Coughlin met with Speaker Prieto earlier this year, in a session first reported by InsiderNJ. The assemblyman then began to privately meet with members of the caucus to determine whether or not he had the support to pursue the Speakership.

“I thoroughly respect the Assembly, my colleagues and the caucus process and have worked hard not to go public about the meetings I have been having with members,” said the assemblyman. “I believe in the sanctity of Assembly deliberations and discussions, wanting to first make sure my colleagues were comfortable in their support prior to a public pronouncement. I learned early on that a large part of being a leader of the Assembly is protecting the members and I wanted to adhere to that principle as best as I could. I realize that this is a long process and I intend to meet with every member to listen to their ideas, issues and concerns. As always, I will work productively with my colleagues throughout the balance of this legislative session.”

The members who are supporting Assemblyman Coughlin are:

Bob Andrzejczak (D-1)

Arthur Barclay (D-5)

Daniel R. Benson (D- 14)

John J. Burzichelli (D-3)

Herb Conaway Jr. M.D. (D-7)

Craig J. Coughlin (D-19)

Joseph Danielsen (D-17)

Wayne P.DeAngelo (D-14)

Joann Downey (D-11)

Joseph V. Egan (D-17)

Jerry Green (D-22)

Louis D. Greenwald (D-6)

Eric Houghtaling (D-11)

Gordon M. Johnson (D-37)

Patricia Egan Jones (D-5)

Rob Karabinchak (D-18)

James Kennedy (D-22)

Pamela R. Lampitt (D-6)

R. Bruce Land (D-1)

Yvonne Lopez (D-19)*

Vincent Mazzeo (D-2)

Paul D. Moriarty (D-4)

Gabriela Mosquera (D-4)

Carol Murphy (D-7)*

Nancy Pinkin (D-18)

Annette Quijano (D-20)

Adam Taliaferro (D-3)

Andrew Zwicker (D-16)