TRENTON, NJ – New Jersey Democrats showed a divided front during Tuesday’s reorganization meeting nominating both Nicholas Scutari and Senator Nia Gill as Senate President to replace Steve Sweeney.
Going into the new session, establishment Democrats had united behind Scutari, but the progressives and black caucus of the party put their support behind Gil.
Gil slammed the Democrat caucus and Governor Phil Murphy for botching the spending of federal emergency funding that denied communities across the state from receiving the much-needed federal cash infusion that still hasn’t made it to those communities, including underprivileged minority communities.
“We allowed Murphy to have unilateral power during this pandemic without checks and pandemic,” Gil said, requesting more oversight and accountability over the governor’s decisions.
Scutari won the Senate floor vote and will now serve as the Senate President, replacing Steve Sweeney.
“The American Dream is alive and well,” Scutari said. “I never imagined that a poor kid from Linden can lead the senate of the state of New Jersey.”