From the Statehouse to Hunterdon County, from CD2 to CD5, from Atlantic City to Princeton, here are the Insider NJ key must-read pieces from the past week:

Sources: NJ Democratic Establishment Grimly Watches Biden

Several key New Jersey Democrats are waiting for New Hampshire to stick a fork in Joe Biden’s presidential candidacy.

The NJ Consequences of a Biden Meltdown in Iowa

If Biden has a less than impressive showing in the Hawkeye State (more exactly what that looks like in a moment), New Jersey’s party establishment (the fractured creature that it is) will feel some pressure to pivot, presumably to billionaire Michael Bloomberg, who already has one strong North Jersey ally loosely affiliated with Team Murphy.

Van Drew Anger Abides As CD2 Dems Compete in Cape May County

The dump gulls shriek like shrikes down here in the wintertime, a wretched flapping general rebuke of what’s left of life on the boardwalk in the off-season; as if terminally offended by existence itself, no matter how insignificant amid boarded and padlocked steel-curtained shop fronts facing the dead ocean.

InsiderNJ’s Who’s Up and Who’s Down: Week of the Iowa Debacle

See where the players stand over the past week in Jersey politics.

Warren Wins Prez Poll in Hunterdon County

Elizabeth Warren has prevailed in Hunterdon in a straw poll among Democrats. The Massachusetts senator defeated former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg in a final ballot showdown.

Mayoral Candidate Hopes to Make History in Atlantic City

Pamela Thomas-Fields will run for mayor in the June Democratic Primary, she told InsiderNJ on Saturday afternoon.

Avelenda to Serve as new ED for Democratic State Committee

The New Jersey Democratic State Committee will reassign Tolulope Kevin Olasanoye from his current duties and bring in a new executive director, specifically Saily Avelenda, who came to the committee through NJ 11th for Change.

Pallotta Unveils Himself as ‘The Guy who Can Beat Gottheimer’

It was pretty clear what the 100 or so people at the local Elks Lodge were thinking as soon as Republican Frank Pallotta came to the microphone.

Auth Wants a Crack at CD-5 Congressional Seat

Veteran Assemblyman Robert Auth (R-39) wants to run for Congress against incumbent U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-5).

Stack can’t Save Torres on Hudson County Freeholder Board

The cold war between the two most powerful Hudson County warlords got a little hotter this week as the Hudson County Democratic Organization apparently decided not to support the reelection of Freeholder Joel Torres.

Morris Republicans Step up Registration Efforts

Congressional District 11, like two years ago, again is shaping up as one of the most pivotal in the state, if not the nation.

Union County Dems Back Lourdes Leon of Elizabeth for Freeholder Seat

Never elected, Lourdes Leon of Elizabeth has the backing of the Union County Democratic Committee to run as the replacement for retiring Union County Freeholder Angel Estrada.

Cottiers to Serve as COS for Assemblyman DePhillips

Assemblyman Chris DePhillips (R-40) today announced that he has hired a new chief of staff: Ray Cottiers.

Report: Gilbert and Alonso Fired

Milwaukee-based news reporter Derrick Rose tonight tweeted that party officials have fired Liz Gilbert and Adam Alonso from the Democratic National Convention Host Committee.

Codey Sees Biden as the Dems’ Best Battleground Hope

“He is the best candidate [in those critical general election battleground states],” Codey told InsiderNJ.

Sherrill Backs Bloomberg for President

Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) endorsed Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg for president, praising his commitment to reducing gun violence, protecting our environment, and rebuilding America’s crumbling infrastructure.

Five More NJ Leaders Back Bloomberg for Prez

Five New Jersey elected officials today endorsed Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg.

Special Committee on Economic Growth Issues Report with Recommended Reforms & Improvements

The special Senate committee created to evaluate the state’s economic development programs issued its report today with a broad array of proposed reforms to bring greater transparency and oversight to the Economic Development Authority.

Senate Votes Not Guilty on Trump Impeachment

New Jersey senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker this afternoon voted “guilty” on the first article of impeachment (abuse of power) as Republicans mostly voted “not guilty” and ensured that the U.S. Senate would not eject President Donald J. Trump from office.

Whitmer Gives a Shout-out to Murphy

In her rejoinder to President Donald J Trump’s State of the Union, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer gave a shout out to New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy.

Speaker Coughlin Names Assembly Leadership Team for the 219th Legislative Session

Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin and Majority Leader Louis Greenwald today officially announced the Assembly Leadership Team for the 219th session of the legislature.

Our Democracy at Work: When in Doubt, Blame the Computer

Stalin allegedly said the key to an election is not who votes, but who counts the votes. The story could be apocryphal, but the cynical observation about democracy is clear.

50 Shades of Joe Biden

As former Vice President Joe Biden’s primary campaign has unfolded, so too have scenes of Uncle Joe angrily dismissing voters at town halls.

Pride in Buttigieg Coming out of Iowa

I have many thoughts about the Iowa caucuses. There’s so much flying around my head right now that if I tried write it down, it would come out in messy torrents. Kinda like opening a soda after shaking it vigorously.

Rape Culture Persists in NJ Politics

“They should be very, very nervous. We will find out who you are.” That’s the money quote from Jeannine LaRue from a Newark press conference last month about rape and sexual harassment in NJ politics.

Male-dominated Corruption in NJ Politics

Back in the aughts, I did some work on a municipal campaign that was rolling out a slate of candidates for town council. They were first-timers eager to introduce themselves to the world.

Notes on Iowa – Personal and Political

Most significant result of the night: Former Vice President Joe Biden is no longer the frontrunner for the center-left majority constituency of the Democratic Party

Biden – Unlikely Nominee – is Still Only Democratic Candidate Likely to Beat Trump

In analyzing Presidential Campaign 2020, I have consistently maintained that the key to Democratic victory over Donald Trump would be a substantial increase in African-American turnout over that of the 2016 presidential election contest.

Donald John Trump and George Corley Wallace; Bernie Sanders and Henry Agard Wallace

The late Richard Hofstadter, in my view, will always rank as the greatest of all historians of American intellectual history.

Does Super Bowl Presage a Billionaire 2020 Faceoff?

Last night tens of millions of Americans watching the 54th Super Bowl got a preview of what it would be like if our major party Presidential choices turn out to be President Donald Trump and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, one of the richest men in the world.