New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine (D) announced his running mate last weekend, a choice that was met with praise by LGBT advocates.
Corzine selected state Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D) to run alongside him as lieutenant governor in his bid for reelection in November, marking the first time in New Jersey history that a governor will be joined on the ticket; the lieutenant governor position was created by a constitutional amendment approved by voters in the 2005 election.
Weinberg, 74, was elected to the New Jersey Assembly in 1992 and the Senate in 2005, representing Bergen County in North Jersey.
She has garnered a reputation for her strong voice on LGBT issues in the legislature, most recently cosponsoring the 2006 bill that amended New Jersey’s Law Against Discrimination to include protections based on gender identity. She also served as the prime sponsor of the 2006 law that created civil unions for same-sex couples in the state, and of a bill currently in a Senate committee that proposes the legalization of same-sex marriage.
Steven Goldstein, chair of Garden State Equality, called her the “prime force” behind the push for marriage equality and the strongest legislative ally the New Jersey LGBT community has ever had.
“Loretta is quite frankly and simply the greatest civil-rights champion for the LGBT community that has ever held public office in this state,” he said. “She has been the architect of every single LGBT civil-rights law enacted in New Jersey in this generation. It’s almost impossible to portray to people who live outside of New Jersey who may not be familiar with her what a legend she is for the LGBT community.”
Goldstein noted that Garden State Equality named its highest honor, given during its annual fundraising dinner, after the state senator — the Loretta Weinberg Prize for Lifetime Achievement.
Goldstein said Weinberg’s support for the community is sincere; when he and his partner first moved to New Jersey, Weinberg stopped by their house within an hour after they finished unpacking with a welcome dinner.
“What’s particularly wonderful is that she’s not a member of the LGBT community and doesn’t have any particularly close LGBT family members, but she simply supports the LGBT community because she believes in equality,” he said. “She’s the living symbol of a civil-rights champion who understands that one does not have to be a member of a community to champion the rights of that community. She feels our struggles for equality with every bone in her body.”
Openly gay New Jersey Assemblyman Reed Gusciora (D) acknowledged that while Weinberg has been a strong advocate for LGBT issues, she also has a wide-ranging appeal to voters from a variety of demographics.
“Loretta has been a dynamo in the legislature. I enjoyed my tenure with her in the Assembly; she and I were always deemed the ‘liberal caucus,’” he said. “But she has so much governmental experience that New Jersey voters of all stripes should rest assured that she would be able to take over the reins of governor in a heartbeat.”
Corzine’s Republican challenger, Chris Christie, U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, announced on Monday that he selected Kimberly Guadagno, 50, as his choice for lieutenant governor.
Christie has said he believes that marriage should be between one man and one woman and would veto a marriage-equality bill if he were elected. He also has noted that if the state’s marriage laws were changed through the court system, he would favor a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage.
Corzine, however, has long been a proponent of marriage equality.
Data released Tuesday by Public Policy Polling found that Corzine trails Christie by about 14 percentage points, with a margin of error of +/-4.2 percent, a 4-point increase from the end of June.
Goldstein said he anticipates Corzine’s selection could help to close that gap.
“None of us who support Gov. Corzine are wearing rose-colored glasses; we know the fight we have before us,” he said. “But Loretta Weinberg energizes the Democratic political base like few other people could. She’s just beloved. There are hundreds of thousands of people across this state that Loretta has helped over the years who would just walk across coals for her.”
Gusciora asserted that Weinberg’s aptitude for connecting on a personal level with her constituents is just what the Corzine campaign needs.
“Gov. Corzine deserves to be reelected; he has the fiscal maturity to lead the state and has stabilized the budgetary crisis that New Jersey has been suffering. But a lot of people have criticized the fact that he’s not a people person or a polished politician,” he said. “What Loretta adds is that political dimension; she has a great personality, people like her and she has a reputation as being honest, a hard worker and a progressive thinker. I think she adds an exciting element to the Democratic ticket and makes up for any shortfalls the governor may have.”
Jen Colletta can be reached at [email protected].