Assemblywoman Liz Muoio’s (D-15) imminent departure from the Legislature set off a chain reaction of observable districtwide hunger in Mercer, with insiders gaming potential head-to-head matchups, dismissing the candidacies of some while inflating the chances of others, musing about potential ways to clear the most obvious political obstacles on the one hand, while on the other simultaneously deviously trying to build other obstacles to trip up one or more rivals.

This much was true:

In a Ewing versus Hopewell matchup, Mercer County Freeholders Anthony Verrelli and Lucy Walter appeared ready to go. Verrelli would have the Carpenters with him, as well, possibly, as the support of powerful Mercer County Executive Brian Hughes (pictured), who successfully backed Muoio in 2014.

Walter had posed a stumbling block to Hughes for about a decade and Hughes, tired of it, was ready to look elsewhere, according to sources.

Verrelli was an option.

A Carpenter.

Carpenters were hip.

But then there was the delicate game of Democratic Party politics.

Was the district really beating the door down for a white male?

And would Trenton – 40-42% of the district – acquiesce to one of the smaller suburban towns (Hopewell???) getting that seat?

Assemblyman Reed Gusciora (D-15) was already there, so Trenton was taken care of, right?

Well, not exactly.

Gusciora was white.

A minority, true – gay – but not – arguably – the closest duplication of the city itself, a largely – though not wholly – African American stronghold.

Freeholder Sam Frisby, who’s African American and politically connected, earlier today told InsiderNJ that he would study the situation and talk over his options with family, but definitely transmitted the sense that he wants to work with the “leaders in the party” and not present himself as a rebellious alternative to whatever establishment consensus candidate emerges. Frisby wanted to run for the seat in 2014 – and did, kind of, but that was when a newly muscled Trenton Mayor Eric Jackson was in his corner and looking to make a statement on behalf of city representation. That kind of robust support won’t be there to that degree, a source insisted to InsiderNJ.

But Verrelli?

Well, it wasn’t a done deal.

2018 was supposed to be the year of women in politics, conceived as that required cultural counterweight to the positively sulfuric out-of-control white male twitter feed emanating from a certain White House.

Names emerged. And a lot of them.

Councilwoman Ayesha Hamilton of West Windsor circulated.

“Sh’se interested,” a source told InsiderNJ.

Lawrence Councilwoman Cathleen Lewis circulated.

But – and this a chorus from the other suburban towns in the district – Senator Shirley Turner (D-15) already stood atop the pyramid and she was from Lawrenceville.

Lawrenceville was a non-starter.

That’s why Mercer County Clerk Paula Sollami-Covello – from Lawrenceville – was going nowhere fast, a source said.

So it was back to Ewing and Hopewell – and (maybe) West Windsor.

Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh in the past has shown an interest in moving beyond the confines of West Windsor.

But he… would he be able to muster county committee support?

Probably not.

Trenton?

Come on, Trenton could get a freeholder seat – and assuredly would – if Verrelli moved up.

Or if Walter moved up.

No. Not Walter. Walter wouldn’t have the support, so long as Hughes still had heft, and he did.

Ok, so if Verrelli moved up, Trenton could get a freeholder seat.

Wait, wait.

Why should Trenton of all places have to settle for just freeholder?

Didn’t Trenton settle for freeholder in 2014 when the party promoted Muoio from – what was the name of that town out there – Pennington?

Hey.

Hey, wait a minute here.

Call Hughes.

Get on the phone with Hughes and…

Hang on a sec, didn’t Gusciora want to be a judge?

Yes, he did, he does!

Maybe – stick with this, one source urged – Gusciora could get that judgeship now, thereby putting two seats in play for the Democrats.

Frisby to the Assembly from Trenton.

Verrelli to the Assembly from Hopewell.

Wait, wait, wait!

What about a woman?

Turner would still be the senator.

And then there would be two freeholder vacancies to plug and plenty of women to choose from:

Sarah Steward of Ewing;

Jennifer Keyes-Maloney of Ewing;

Hamilton from West Windsor;

Others.

All the names of those women stepping up now to be considered for the assembly.

Let ’em fight it out for freeholder. Let ’em fight it out for the future.

But would Gusciora still want that judgeship? Didn’t he love being a legislator?

And he was a legend, too, in LD15, the first openly gay legislator in state history with a very credible progressive voting record.

He wanted it once.

Try again?

It would give the party power players a chance to really engineer a failsafe political plan to balance out the district, bring up some shiny new people and refurbish the freeholder board, and, and…

Couldn’t do it without the consent of Gusciora.

It was too crazy.

Too many moving parts.

Don’t make it more complicated than it needs to be.

The plan would have to be executed on a smaller scale then, sources argued.

Verrelli for assembly, an African American from Trenton (preferably a woman) to replace him on the freeholder board, and brace for a primary because the convention likely wouldn’t settle it for keeps.

It was volatile.

But, one source insisted, “We will follow a process, and the process dictates that the choice [for Assembly] will be a freeholder.”