The New Jersey State Building & Construction Trades Council was prepared to support State Sen. Vince Polistina (R-Egg Harbor Township) for re-election in the 2nd district this week, but Steve Sweeney was able to kill the endorsement of the Republican lawmaker.
“I absolutely opposed Polistina’s endorsement because he’s one of the leading opponents of offshore wind,” said Sweeney, the former Senate President and a top official of the international Ironworkers Union. “That’s what we do. We build things.”
The Atlantic & Cape May County Building Trades Council voted to support Polistina last week, but the state organization rejected it on Thursday. The building trades require 75% of their executive board to approve an endorsement.
“I argued in the meeting that you can’t endorse a guy who opposes creation,” Sweeney said. “It’s all about jobs. I was the leading voice in opposing Polistina.”
But Sweeney denied putting the kibosh on an endorsement for State Sen. Michael Testa, Jr. (R-Vineland), who is running for a third term in the 1st district. Testa is the strong favorite for re-election.
The building trades made no endorsement in either of the South Jersey races.
Democrats have nominated Pleasantville Councilman Vincent Carmona to take on Polistina, but he’s possibly just a placeholder as they search for a stronger candidate. Former Assemblyman Vince Mazzeo (D-Northfield) and outgoing Stockton University President Harvey Kesselman were both recruited and turned down.
Dead whales and dolphins washing up on the Jersey shore led to Polistina calling for a moratorium on the construction of offshore wind farms until officials can identify a cause of death.
Polistina isn’t concerned about the loss of the building trades council endorsement.
“The men and women who are working in Atlantic and Cape May endorsed me, and that will not change, Polistina said.
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