At that time, there was speculation that such heavy hitters as Newark Mayor Cory Booker or Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester) would also be on the ballot. Now that Buono is the nominee, she still has not gotten the full backing of the party’s biggest powerbrokers -- Joe DiVincenzo in Essex County and George Norcross in South Jersey – but Norcross and heavy hitters north and south are fighting her choice for state party chair.

A press release last Friday from Sweeney announced that he, Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver (D-Essex), Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen), Assembly Majority Leader Louis Greenwald (D-Camden), virtually the entire South Jersey Democratic legislative contingent, Norcross, Essex County Democratic Chairman Phil Thigpen, and a host of others want Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D-Union) named the state Democratic chairman. It made no mention of the fact that the choice of the chairman traditionally goes to the gubernatorial nominee. Buono wants Assemblyman Jason O’Donnell (D-Hudson) named chair.

Buono and Sweeney have a history: She was his first majority leader but the two did not get along and he first booted her from that position and then took away her committee chairmanship.

She is also not getting support from the nation’s highest Democrat. Two weeks ago, when President Barack Obama visited the Jersey Shore for a post-Sandy tour, Christie was by his side, shaking hands, and even winning him a stuffed bear. Buono reportedly only got as close as a group of 30 local officials who met Obama off camera before he spoke publicly, despite being one of only two Democrats running for governor in the United States this year.