A House freshman and his powerful big brother
BY SIMON VAN ZUYLEN-WOOD
(CNBNEWS.NET)–National Journal Magazine reporter Simon Van Zuylen-Wood wrote a great investigative piece headlined Jersey Boys about incoming freshman Rep. Donald Norcross (D-NJ) and his powerful Democrat Party Boss George. It was released on February 7, 2015.
Here are few excerpts:
Before he headed the South Jersey AFL-CIO, before he was an assemblyman or a state senator, 56-year-old Donald Norcross made his living as an electrician. The political advantages of a salt-of-the-earth CV are lost neither on Norcross nor his backers, who mention his old gig at every opportunity. His former job is also a convenient distraction from the Norcross story line people actually care about: his relationship with big brother George.
The CliffsNotes on George Norcross III are, at this point, familiar to anyone who follows New Jersey politics. But briefly: Norcross is the insurance magnate, hospital chairman, occasional newspaper owner, and unelected power broker who more or less dictates what goes on in the southern half of the state. He\’s almost comically guarded with the press, but journalists have been dining out for a decade on a set of recordings—from a wiretap installed to investigate allegations that Norcross was trying to get a small-town bureaucrat fired—that provide a nice glimpse at his unvarnished id. Among the highlights: \”[I]n the end, the McGreeveys, the Corzines, they\’re all going to be with me. Not because they like me, but because they have no choice.\” (Then-U.S. Attorney Chris Christie famously declined to bring charges.)
In 2009, Donald, who had never held public office, was named by the Camden County Democratic Committee (former chairman: George Norcross; current cochairman: Donald Norcross) and its counterpart in Gloucester to be the party candidate to replace outgoing Assemblyman Joe Roberts (a George Norcross ally). He was subsequently tapped to replace incoming Camden Mayor Dana Redd (another George Norcross ally) in the state Senate. Then, the day the scandal-tainted Andrews announced he was stepping down, Donald Norcross announced his candidacy for the House. \”When I realized he was going to run for Congress,\” says one former Jersey reporter, \”I was like, \’Jesus Christ, this was foretold on a tablet somewhere.\’ \”
This article appears in the February 7, 2015 edition of National Journal Magazine as Jersey Boys.
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