Make no mistake. South Jersey establishment Democrats want to beat incumbent state Senator Chris Brown (R-2), Atlantic County Democratic Committee Chairman Mike Suleiman told InsiderNJ.

Suleiman disputed the conclusions of a source who said the Dems will have to summon a sacrificial lamb to go up against the Atlantic County-based Republican.

“Couldn’t disagree more with your source,” Suleiman said. “No way are we looking for someone to just ‘fall on the sword.’ Frankly, I want our State Senate seat back, and as soon as this election is over and certified we plan on recruiting the strongest possible candidate we can against Senator Brown. He’s beatable.”

Suleiman said he thinks Brown has ceded the Republican regional power base to state Senator Mike Testa (R-2), who stormed to victory last year out of his hometown of Vineland and promptly aggressively assumed a high-visibility statewide role as co-chair of the Donald Trump Reelection campaign.

“I don’t think Brown has been very active,” the chairman said. “It’s all been Mike Testa. It’s been the Mike Testa Show, and he only has three towns in Atlantic County.

“Brown hasn’t really been out there,” Suleiman added. “We’re not going to give this guy a free ride. We have to get through Tuesday. We have to field the best candidate. We want our senate seat back. If we are going to have redistricting, who knows what this district is going to look like? We need to gain something.”

Suleiman criticized the GOP for failing to field stronger tickets. He said he sees amiable people repeatedly stepping forward without a ton of heft. “I like James Toto, nice guy, but how many times is he going to run? How many times is Brian Fitzherbert going to run?” Suleiman wondered.

As for who would step up and take on Brown, a former judge and former Desert Storm combat veteran, sources say Assemblyman Vince Mazzeo and Assemblyman John Armato would likely get a first and/or second crack at a run. Labor leader Rich Tolson of Margate is another name.

One significant factor in the coming together of a ticket is the health of the relationship between Governor Phil Murphy and Senate President Steve Sweeney (D-3). If it’s not good, Murphy can always activate what looks like his own Chris Christie-South Jersey option, which is to look for ways to build on friendly relations with Brown, Testa and Assemblyman Ryan Peters (R-8) to drain the South Jersey Democratic machine. Christie combined forces with Sweeney and George Norcross troops. Murphy could conceivably find ways of helping their GOP opposites. If that’s the route he takes amid ongoing troubles, the party could face a primary, too. But that’s unlikely. What’s more plausible is that the governor, Sweeney and Speaker Craig Coughlin all find a way to make nice in 2021 to prevent their hair from getting mussed as they all head for reelection with strong numerical advantages.