Ever-reliable Hillary to N.J. Democrats: Pay up, guys Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Hillary Clinton traveled to Elizabeth City Hall on Monday, where she fell into the warm embrace of the Democratic Party establishment. One speaker after another stepped to the podium to praise her intelligence, her work ethic, her devotion to the underdog.
But the cluster of smiling politicians who squeezed onto the steps behind her had another big reason to show support.
These guys owe her, big time. Clinton may carry too much baggage to win it all. But she has been patiently building up chits in New Jersey for many years. And she came here Monday to collect.
She and her husband were early supporters of Jon Corzine, giving the rookie pol from Wall Street immediate legitimacy.
She speaks at rallies during every big campaign these days.
And she does the smaller things, like attending fundraisers for Assembly Democrats.
"More than anyone, she has made herself available to help us," says Speaker Joe Roberts (D-Camden). "That's helped us win a lot of races."
So now the party leaders will fire up their machines to help Hillary. They will work phones banks. They will shuttle voters to the polls. They will help her raise money. Perhaps most important, they shifted the primary from its regular date in June to Feb. 5, finally putting New Jersey in the thick of things.
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