State Sen. Linda Greenstein (D-Plainsboro) is taking steps toward seeking a seventh term in the New Jersey State Senate, and her likely heir apparent, Assemblyman Wayne DeAngelo (D-Hamilton), is backing her up.
“At the moment, I am planning to run,” Greenstein told the New Jersey Globe.
Like other septuagenarian lawmakers, the 76-year-old Greenstein has been the subject of retirement speculation in advance of the 2027 legislative elections. But she said she recently held another fundraiser and continues to attend local events in the 14th district at a rapid pace – something that’s been her trademark since she ousted four-term Republican incumbents in a 1999 Assembly campaign.
DeAngelo has committed to supporting Greenstein, but made it clear that if she decides to retire, he will definitely run for the Senate.
“I’ll support her endeavors if she decides to run again, and if she does not seek that, I will seek her support as well as all the individuals, committee people, and voters to make that happen,” he said. “I’ve known Senator Greenstein for a long time. I respect the work that she’s done. She respects the work that I’ve done.”
He was also critical of younger members of his party who are more willing to challenge incumbents
“I’m not like some of the new Democrats that want to come up and primary someone just to primary,” DeAngelo stated.
In 2023, a mysterious pollster unaffiliated with either DeAngelo or Greenstein released a poll showing a potential Greenstein-DeAngelo matchup in a Democratic primary for State Senate. DeAngelo has now appeared to put those rumors to rest once again for 2027.
Greenstein praised DeAngelo, specifically as the chairman of the Assembly Telecommunications and Utilities Committee.
“I think Wayne is a terrific legislator. He’s at the forefront of every energy issue,” she said. “His Assembly chair is a wonderful platform for him.”
DeAngelo, 60, has faced some challenges in his last two elections.
In 2023, he finished third at the Mercer County Democratic convention behind two contenders who had ostensibly been battling for the open seat of Assemblyman Dan Benson (D-Hamilton), who was instead running for county executive. DeAngelo was supporting incumbent County Executive Brian Hughes.
In that contest, Rick Carabelli, a newcomer from a politically significant Hamilton family, finished first with 120 votes, followed by Tennille McCoy (111), a former assistant commissioner of the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development who had lost her first two campaigns for local office. DeAngelo received 106 votes.
At the time, DeAngelo said he was unsure about his political future and blamed Benson supporters for his loss.
Three days later, DeAngelo’s re-election prospects were back on track. DeAngelo and Benson endorsed each other. He was the top vote-getter at the Middlesex Democratic convention with 58 votes; Carabelli dropped out after McCoy prevailed in Middlesex, 45-1.
DeAngelo has been a member of the Assembly for 19 years, first winning in a close 2007 race that flipped a seat from Republicans. During his tenure in the legislature, he has been a top ally of labor – he’s the president of the Mercer/Burlington Counties Building Trades Council – as well as one of the body’s most moderate Democrats on certain issues, such as abortion.
DeAngelo faced a primary challenge last year from Dave Lusciano, an environmental specialist at the New Jersey Department of Education who ran on Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop’s Democrats for Change slate. Lusciano’s campaign was specifically aimed at DeAngelo, the last remaining pro-life Democrat in the legislature.
Lusciano ultimately failed to submit enough signatures to qualify for the ballot, but the effort reflected a growing willingness among younger Democrats to mount primary challenges against the veteran lawmaker.
A former legal services attorney and deputy state attorney general, Greenstein had served as a Plainsboro school board member and township committeewoman before winning an Assembly seat in 1999. She moved up to the Senate in a 2010 special election against interim State Sen. Thomas Goodwin (R-Hamilton).
Greenstein has been a strong vote-getter during her more than 30 years in public office. She defeated Richard Kanka, the father of 7-year-old murder victim Megan Kanka, the catalyst behind Megan’s Law, in 2011; in 2013, she defeated Peter Inverso (R-Hamilton), who had served in the Senate from 1992 to 2008.
In 2014, Greenstein sought the Democratic nomination for Congress in New Jersey’s 12th district; she lost the primary to Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Ewing).
In the recent Democratic primary to choose Watson Coleman’s successor, East Brunswick Mayor Brad Cohen carried the four municipalities that are in Greenstein’s legislative district: Cranbury, Jamesburg, Monroe and Plainsboro. Cohen led the winner, Adam Hamawy, 32.8% to 24.5%, largely on his 20-point victory in Monroe; Hamawy carried the other three towns.
When Greenstein does decide to retire, potential candidates to replace her include McCoy, Hamilton Mayor Jeff Martin, and DeAngelo.
“If Senator Greenstein decides not to run, I’m going to throw my name in the hat to run for the Senate,” DeAngelo said.