Donald Norcross picked for state Senate seat

Camden and Gloucester County Democrats unanimously selected labor leader Donald Norcross to be Camden's next state senator in a convention yesterday.

"Our number-one priority in Trenton is to get our economy going and make sure we have good, quality jobs," Norcross said before about 300 Democrats at the American Legion post in Brooklawn. "We will be fighting like hell for it."

Norcross won a Fifth District Assembly seat in November and was sworn in Tuesday. Also at yesterday's convention, Democrats selected his Assembly successor, Camden Councilman Gilbert "Whip" Wilson, a former Camden police officer and an Air Force Ranger in the Vietnam War.

Norcross is set to be sworn into the Senate on Tuesday, capping one of the shortest Assembly careers in state history. In the Senate he would replace Dana Redd, who was sworn in as Camden's mayor Jan. 1.

Norcross said in an interview that on the campaign trail for the Assembly seat "there was not a door I knocked on where people didn't want to talk about the economy, what average men and women are doing to make ends meet." He said he would concentrate on job creation, economic development, and property taxes.

Norcross said he would work with Republican Gov.-elect Christopher J. Christie on areas of common interest, such as the economy and schools. But he said, "When we disagree, we will fight like hell to make sure our issues - issues of Democrats - are going to be there. I give you that promise today that we will not do anything that will hurt our constituents - the working men and women of the Fifth District."

It was an extraordinary day for South Jersey Democrats.

The convention chairman was 10-term U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews (D., N.J.), who in 2008 was renominated to his House seat at a similar convention after losing his primary battle against U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D., N.J.). During that race, Andrews had promised not to seek renomination to his seat, and his wife, Camille, won the House primary. Andrews famously had a change of heart.

There also was new Senate President Stephen M. Sweeney (D., Gloucester). He was suffering from a numb lip because he had kept a promise to friends that if he became Senate president, he would shave his mustache for the first time in 32 years.

Sweeney is a strong ally of Camden County Democrats and a childhood friend of the Norcross family. Because Gov. Corzine was out of the state yesterday, Sweeney was acting governor - probably the last Senate president to fill that role. In November, New Jersey elected its first lieutenant governor to serve if the governor cannot. The Senate president will be third in the line of succession.

Norcross, 51, of Camden, leads the 85,000-member South Jersey AFL-CIO Central Labor Council and is the Camden County Democratic Party cochair and brother of South Jersey power broker George Norcross III. Donald Norcross also has worked to improve the Camden waterfront and serves on the United Way executive board. He and his wife, Andrea, have three children and two grandchildren.

Wilson, 43, of Camden, who is to be seated in the Assembly later this month, and his wife, Martha, have six children and six grandchildren.

Though the Democratic Party committee members were unanimous, some NAACP leaders objected to Norcross' selection. They have argued that because African Americans have occupied the Senate seat for 15 years, only an African American should replace Redd.

In an attempt to put that complaint to rest, Norcross secured endorsements from prominent African Americans including Redd; the Rev. Reginald Jackson, head of a politically influential group of black clergy; and Lloyd Henderson, head of the Camden East NAACP chapter.

But James Harris, head of the state NAACP, and Camden NAACP leader Colandus "Kelly" Francis said South Jersey would have a diversity gap without an African American state senator. Camden Democrats argued, however, that Norcross, who is white, Wilson, who is African American, and Assemblyman Angel Fuentes, who is Latino, reflect the diversity of the Fifth District, which includes Camden, nearby suburbs, and towns in Gloucester County, including Woodbury.

Also opposing Norcross' selection was Phil Warner, head of the Gloucester County NAACP chapter.

The NAACP had suggested a Deptford man for the Senate job, Francis said, but his candidacy did not materialize. So some members shifted their support to Wilson for the Senate seat.

The delegation is entirely new because Redd was elected mayor and Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts and Assemblywoman Nilsa Cruz-Perez retired.

Democrats have held the Senate seat since at least the mid-1970s with little opposition. Before Redd, Sen. Wayne Bryant did not seek reelection after he was indicted on corruption charges. In July, he was sentenced to four years in prison. His name went unmentioned at yesterday's event.

Because Norcross and Wilson are replacing elected candidates, they must run for their seats in November.

Francis, of the Camden NAACP, said he expected an independent to challenge Norcross then.

"As far as we're concerned, this is not done," Francis said. "We haven't been fighting for all these years for representation for nothing."