Latest news with #Cassino
Reuters
6 days ago
- Automotive
- Reuters
Alfa Romeo could postpone launch of new Stelvio SUV, sources say
MILAN, May 29 (Reuters) - Alfa Romeo is set to postpone the launch of the new version of its Stelvio large SUV as it reassesses its strategies amid tepid demand for electric vehicles, two sources told Reuters on Thursday. The new Stelvio, which is due to be produced in Cassino, central Italy, will not start deliveries before September or October next year, one of the sources said. It was previously set to be unveiled later this year and sold in the first quarter of 2026. Alfa Romeo - part of the Stellantis ( opens new tab group which also owns Fiat, Jeep and Peugeot - is developing a hybrid version of the model, which was initially planned to be sold only in full-electric (EV) guise, a second source said. The rescheduled launch could slow, at least in the short term, a wider plan to revive production and jobs in Italy that Stellantis presented to the Italian government at the end of last year. Stellantis on Wednesday appointed its North American chief Antonio Filosa as its new CEO. Earlier this month, the head of the automaker's European operations said the company was working on an update of the plan. Although the new Stelvio is based on Stellantis' multi-powertrain "STLA large" platform, it will take some time for the group to also develop its hybrid version, the second source said. Assessments of powertrain options are not currently affecting plans for the new version of Alfa Romeo's Giulia sport sedan, whose launch is foreseen for next year, the same source added. A spokesman for Stellantis said the revision of the group's plan for Italy "includes an expansion and reshaping of activities in the country, in light of current market conditions, uncertainties surrounding EU regulations, and the impact of tariffs". Demand for EVs is struggling to pick up in Europe and many expect the European Union could slow the shift towards electrification in the industry. In the U.S., which accounts for around 15% of Alfa Romeo's volumes, tariffs could impact sales of the brand's European-made cars. Stellantis earlier this year hired consultant McKinsey to advise on the effects of U.S. tariffs on Alfa Romeo and its Maserati luxury brand.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Assembly candidacies, contested primaries surge
The number of Assembly candidates running in June's primaries is the highest in nearly 50 years as New Jersey faces a governor's race, the end of county lines, and uncertain federal politics. (Photo by Mary Iuvone for New Jersey Monitor) More candidates are running for seats in the New Jersey Assembly this year than they have at any point since Jimmy Carter was president. This year, 209 Assembly candidates — 123 Democrats and 86 Republicans — will vie for their parties' nomination on June 10, up from the 170 that ran for the lower chamber when it was last on the ballot in 2023. To find a higher total, you have to go back to 1977, when 252 office-seekers launched bids for the Assembly. Dan Cassino, director of the Fairleigh Dickinson University poll, cited this year's crowded race for governor as a factor. 'The fact there's a governor on the ballot means there's more money floating around, and there is more interest in the election overall, and that money does matter. The fact that there are higher profile candidates out there raising money, some of that money leaks down,' Cassino said. 'It might not happen in tax policy, but in politics, there absolutely is trickle-down economics.' The breadth of candidacies has ballooned the number of contested primaries in the state. New Jersey has 40 legislative districts, and each one is represented by one senator and two members of the Assembly (senators are not on the ballot this year). More than two Democrats have filed to run in 24 districts, and Republican candidates will face contested primaries in seven. In 2023, when the state's 80 Assembly seats were last on the ballot, only 11 primaries were contested across both parties. Cassino and others cited the increasingly uncertain national political landscape as a possible cause for the surge. 'We're seeing, I think, more of a blending than we ever have of national and state level politics at this point,' said Ashley Koning, director of Rutgers University's Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling. Assembly candidates recruited by Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, who is seeking the Democratic nod for governor, account for most of the primary challenges on his side of the aisle. The 37 candidates running under Fulop's 'Democrats for Change' slogan have mounted bids in 23 of the state's legislative districts, including in two solidly Republican ones where the Democrats are unopposed in their primary. The sharp increase in Assembly candidates this year has created six-way primaries in two districts. In Hudson County's 32nd District, Assemblywoman Jessica Ramirez (D-Hudson) is running alongside Jersey City Councilman Yousef Saleh on a Fulop-aligned slate against Hoboken Public Library director Jennie Pu and Crystal Fonseca, division director of buildings and street maintenance in Jersey City. Pu and Fonseca have the endorsement of the Hudson County Democratic Organization. Also seeking the Democratic nods in that district are Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla and Katie Brennan, a former New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency chief of staff. Brennan's allegations of sexual assault against a staffer on Gov. Phil Murphy's 2017 campaign roiled Trenton and spurred legislative hearings. 'That's a hell of a race,' Cassino said. 'What that does is, first off, because these are well-resourced candidates, you're going to get higher turnout. You're going to get more voters.' In Bergen County's 37th district, Assemblywomen Shama Haider (D-Bergen) and Ellen Park (D-Bergen) face challenges from Tamar Warburg, general counsel for the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater MetroWest NJ, and Tenafly Councilman Daniel Park, both of whom were recruited by Fulop. Former Teaneck Mayor Yitz Stern and real estate agent Rosemary Hernandez Carroll have also launched bids there. The swell of candidacies comes as a broad array of gubernatorial candidates vie for the chance to replace a term-limited Murphy and roughly a year after a federal judge's injunction ended a unique New Jersey ballot design called the county line. County-line ballots grouped all candidates that received official party-backing, whether they were running for president or town council, and often relegated non-endorsed candidates to the far reaches of the ballot. Critics of the system alleged it depressed the number of office-seekers by limiting the number of competitive races in the state. 'New Jersey voters are smart, and it's been clear to them for years now that something in the system is broken, and up until now, our state races have been notoriously uncompetitive,' said Nuzhat Chowdhury, director of the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice's democracy and justice program. Lawmakers have since passed, and Murphy signed, legislation to codify the use of office-block ballots, which group candidates by the office they are seeking. 'With the county line no longer being there to allow parties to influence ballots and elections, I think people finally feel empowered to embrace democracy and run for public service,' Chowdhury said. Though the move to office-block ballots will limit parties' influence on primaries, it won't end it altogether. 'Organizations still matter, even without the line,' said Ben Dworkin, director of the Rowan Institute for Public Policy. 'If you've got a cadre of volunteers, lists of voters who trust you and are willing to listen to your pitch — an organization with those resources to employ on behalf of specific candidates is very likely to make a difference in these races.' Some party organizations, Dworkin added, are better prepared to campaign for their chosen candidates than others. Just two sitting legislators are seeking reelection unopposed. Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson (D-Mercer) and Assemblyman Anthony Verrelli (D-Mercer) have no primary challengers, and no Republicans filed to run in their 15th Legislative District. They could still face challenges in November from unaffiliated and third-party candidates, who must file their nominating petitions before 4 p.m. on June 10. The number of candidates running this year could decline as petition challenges are filed in the coming days. Murphy in February signed legislation that more than doubled existing signature thresholds needed to get on the ballot, and challenges could knock some candidates beneath the 250-signature threshold needed to run for Assembly. In the 28th District, which is largely a collection of Essex County towns, Democrat Nadirah Brown filed to run with 255 signatures and Republican Toye Kumolu filed with 260. Their names would be removed from the ballot if enough of their signatures were invalidated. Though party organizations have sometimes eschewed challenges to longshot candidates' petitions for fear of antagonizing rank-and-file voters over an uncompetitive challenger, they have little reason to fear such backlash this year. 'Unfortunately, we don't know if the public's paying attention. When we talk about state and especially local politics, this is so hard for voters to follow in any state,' Koning said. 'New Jersey has an election every year. Put on top of that the national climate and the barrage of breaking news that voters are experiencing, and it's really hard for voters to pay attention to elections at this level.' Four sitting members of the Assembly — Reginald Atkins (D-Union), John Allen (D-Hudson), Julio Marenco (D-Hudson), and Shavonda Sumter (D-Passaic) — are not seeking reelection. Their decisions to forgo bids for another term were earlier reported by the New Jersey Globe. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
