Caren Turner

DENVER - As the New Jersey delegation burst through the double doors into the parking of the Pepsi Center, looking over the shoulders and around the bulky accouterments of any number of security personnel for a clear path to a party at Invesco Field, a small group of those formerly known as the "The Group" huddled on the pavement.

Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) had just spoken and so the emotion was still palpable, and Caren Turner, who has flirted with the idea of backing Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) rather than support the Democratic Primary conqueror of her candidate, remained unconvinced that she should back Barack.

"I’ve got to think about it," said Turner. "I’d like to see what his platform is going to be to get more women into positions of government."

With Turner stood Zenon Christodoulou, vice chair of the Somerset County Democratic Party and another Group member.

Lifelong Democrat Caren Turner doesn’t plan to vote for DemocratsCaren Turner out of a sense of nostalgia. In fact, she’s not sure she’s going to vote Democratic in the coming presidential election.

Turner, a Hillraiser who worked as part of the powerhouse New Jersey fundraising arm called the Group, was among those Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) holdouts who yesterday took part in a feel-out session with a surrogate of Sen. John McCain’s (D-AZ).

Of the group formerly known as "The Group," Michael Kempner last month indicated his absolute adherence to the Obama campaign, as did the Rev. Reginald Jackson; John Graham and others last week sat down with Mark Alexander, senior policy advisor to Obama.

When it comes to presumptive Democratic Party presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama (D-Il.), Graham and others are getting there, and they plan a unity bash for State Party Chairman Joseph Cryan next Thursday.