MAS117
Junior Chimp
Posts: 5,206
|
|
« on: May 04, 2005, 02:03:32 PM » |
|
The man who made Corzine
A popular political story concerning the making of U.S. Sen. Jon Corzine had State Sen. Ray Lesniak bumping into a powerful and wealthy investor, Orin Kramer, at a New Jersey Devils hockey game in the Meadowlands in 1998. Kramer is the chairman of the $70 billion New Jersey State Investment Council, and served as an aide to presidents Carter and Clinton.
Kramer, who was also close to then U.S. Sen. Robert Torricelli, believed rightfully that the Democratic Party needed to find someone to fill the shoes of U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg, who was slated to retire. Kramer suggested that Corzine might do the trick. The rest is political history.
Next January, if Corzine is elected governor of New Jersey, he will likely pay Kramer back by naming the 60-year-old investment banker to the post of interim Senator instead of the current slate of contenders including Rep. Bob Menendez.
If appointed, Kramer would serve out Corzine's term into 2006, but would not run for re-election, leaving the field open to contenders.
|