The likely dumping of Speaker Vincent Prieto (D-32) and impending courtroom presence of indicted U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) double whammies New Jersey’s Latino leadership and puts Democrats in a position of having to shore up that voting bloc if and when Phil Murphy becomes Governor.

Murphy’s selection of former Speaker Sheila Oliver (D-34) for LG – an African American – over Assemblywoman Marlene Caride (D-36) – coupled with Prieto’s and Menendez’s respective political trouble – suggest the reasserted favorite of Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez for state attorney general.

At the very least, it’s a balancing act option.

Sources say Prieto and state Senator Nick Sacco (D-32) backed Murphy for governor early in part because of particularly Sacco’s assurance of Hudson representation in the administration. Suarez stands out as a former judge and county top cop. She could also prove particularly useful to Murphy within the context of Hispanics in a shaky statewide spot at the moment, and Hudson losing power with the shift occurring to empower Assemblyman Craig Coughlin (D-19) of Middlesex to replace Prieto.