DeGise will Run for Chairmanship of Hudson County Democratic Organization (HCDO) (with UPDATE)

DeGise will be the name, this year as it turns out, as well as next, if the Hudson County executive gets his way.

A source in Hudson County says Amy DeGise of Jersey City, daughter of Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise, will run for the chairmanship of the Hudson County Democratic Organization (HCDO) in June.

A powwow is scheduled tonight among DeGise’s allies, including the county executive himself, those

DeGise entered to applause.

mayors aligned with him, U.S. Rep. Albio Sires’ (D-8) loyalists, and assorted committee people.

The name of the daughter of the political war-imperiled but still gamely fighting elder DeGise will surface formally at the meeting, the source told InsiderNJ.

Amy DeGise will run to lead the party against state Senator (and Union City Mayor) Brian P. Stack (D-33), the candidate for HCDO chair who won reelection locally Tuesday night and has aligned with Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop to remove HCDO support for Tom DeGise, who’s up for re-election next year.

Stack
Stack

The DeGise play is the latest plot line in the countywide rivalry between those two wings of Hudson Democrats, the one aligned with Stack and Fulop and the other lined up behind DeGise and state Senator Nick Sacco (D-32).

The Hudson County executive’s inner sanctum allies kicked the tires on some other names in the lead up to this week, including former Jersey City Mayor Jerry Healy, but coalesced in the last 48 hours around Tom DeGise’s daughter as their best best to stave off Stack.

The source told InsiderNJ that DeGise – a native of the Heights section of Jersey City – will be able to go toe to toe with Fulop forces for county committee votes in the biggest city in the county as well as play for support in Hoboken, home of Stack ally Mayor Ravi Bhalla.

Tom DeGise-backer Sires.

Last week, at his reelection kickoff, DeGise told InsiderNJ that his preference to take on Stack would not be an “old white guy” like himself which apparently signaled – at the very least – a ruling out of Healy.

But as it turned out, the county executive did not mind – and even saw fit to recognize as an organizational asset – backing the closest thing to the female version of himself.

A source departing from the meeting after the HCDO affirmed DeGise groaned over the condition of the county and the war with Stack, blaming Fulop, and irritated by the apparent stubbornness of longtime Stack rival Sacco.

“North Bergen won’t budge,” the source complained. “DeGise would bail in a minute so long as he knew his two daughters were safe. Brian wishes he could walk it back. Fulop should be buried.

“Between today and reorganization is a century so anything could change,” the source added.

Craig Guy, chief of staff to DeGise, strongly disagreed with the characterization.

“Sacco is not the irritant here,” said Guy. “This is Tom DeGise against Brian Stack and Steven Fulop 1000 percent. It’s not true that Sacco is ground zero for any of this.”

The HCDO says they’re ready to roll in West New York. County Committee Candidates running on the Column A Line with Senator Menendez, Congressman Sires, and Assemblyman Mejia attended a meeting at Salon Amistad in West New York tonight, attended by over 50 candidates. From left: Commissioner Cosmo Cirillo, Freeholder Caridad Rodriguez, Assemblywoman Angelica Jimenez, Congressman Albio Sires, Commissioner Margarita Guzman and Commissioner Gabriel Rodriguez.

The FULL release from the HCDO follows:

AMY DEGISE ANNOUNCES CAMPAIGN FOR HCDO CHAIR

Running to Bring New Generation of Progressive Leadership to County Party

JERSEY CITY, NJ – Amy DeGise is announcing that she is running for Hudson County Democratic Organization Chair in order to bring a new generation of progressive, inclusive leadership to the county party. An elected member of the Jersey City Board of Education, lifelong Jersey City resident and educator, Amy DeGise is expected to gain the support of the majority of the county’s mayors as well as many other Democratic leaders. A full list of endorsements will be announced soon.

“Hudson County is the most diverse, dynamic and exciting place in New Jersey and it’s time for our Democratic Party to reflect the energy and progressive values that our residents live every day,” said DeGise. “I’m running to lead our county party into a unified, strong future that is open to everyone who cares about their community and wants to see progress in our county. I’m incredibly excited to begin this journey and look forward to working as hard as I can for each and every vote and for the future of our Hudson County Democratic Organization.”

The elected committee members of the Hudson County Democratic Organization will be voting on June 12th for a new chairperson to succeed former Assemblyman Vincent Prieto.

 

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