June Fisher

They don’t look alike, aren’t the same gender, and they’re generations apart. 

But Democratic National Committeewoman June Fisher, 76 and Edison Mayor Jun Choi, 37, were kindred spirits as they took in the Democratic National Convention next to each othher tonight as the “two Jun(e)s”, and joked that – seriously, sort of -- they have a lot in common. 

“Besides sharing a great name, we’re both die-hard Democrats,” said Choi.

Fisher’s first convention was 1972, when she watched George McGovern accept the Democratic presidential nomination.  She’s been to every one since.  Choi’s first was 2000, when he watched Al Gore accept the nomination.  He’s been to every one since then. 

They both hope that this time will turn out better. 

New Jersey superdelegate June Fisher said that she’s “in ecstasy” over Barack Obama’s pick of Joe Biden as Vice President.

Fisher was one of three New Jerseyans who headed up Biden’s small presidential campaign in this state.  She’s known him since 1974, when he came to speak at a convention in Atlantic City. 

“It’s incredibly positive for New Jersey.  There are people in some parts of New Jersey who think of him as our third Senator,” said Fisher, who’s been walking around the lobby of the Inverness Hotel in Denver and hugging everyone she knows.

A Democratic National Committeewoman who was one of the first superdelegates to slip from Hillary Clinton to Barack Obama was defeated for re-election tonight. The New Jersey Democratic State Committee replaced Christine “Roz” Samuels with Stephanie Bush-Baskette, a former Assemblywoman from Essex County.

A Democratic official says that Samuels’ defeat was unrelated to her defection to Obama in a state where most of the party leadership lined up behind Clinton. Sources say that the DNC seat traditionally goes to Essex, and Democratic County Chairman Phil Thigpen decided today to replace Samuels with Bush-Baskette.

Citing comments former President Bill Clinton made about Obama, Samuels dropped her support of Clinton just after she won the New Jersey primary. A week later, she endorsed Obama. Samuels, a state NAACP Executive Board member, is a former Newark Teachers’ Union, Local 481 official.