Sen. Stephen Sweeney said today that 14 of the 23 Democratic state senators support his bid to be Senate president come January, which would make him the choice of the majority caucus to oust Richard Codey as its leader."Dick's been the Senate president, and I have a great deal of respect for him, but he's led the Senate for eight years. There were rules for years in the Legislature that you served so many years as president or speaker, then you moved on," said Sweeney, D-Gloucester. "There's a desire to see others provide a style of leadership that is less partisan, more policy-oriented. And I feel very fortunate to have the support of my colleagues."

Codey has been in the Legislature since 1974 and is the longest-serving active lawmaker. He has been in the Senate since 1981 and its president since 2002, though for the first two years he was co-leader of an evenly divided upper house.

He didn't return a phone call today but issued a prepared statement that indicated he's not conceding the leadership fight.

"Everyone knows leadership battles are a fluid and ever-changing process - and what is today, is not tomorrow," Codey said.

Sweeney, 50, who was elected to the Senate in 2001, is also a Gloucester County freeholder and has directed the freeholder board since 1998. He is also a business representative and financial secretary and treasurer for Ironworkers Local No. 399.

He wouldn't say today whether he would remain Gloucester County freeholder-director if chosen as Senate president, calling it too soon to discuss the matter with Codey remaining in the race. Sweeney is one of 13 lawmakers holding a second elective office, under a grandfather clause in a ban on the practice effective since early 2008.

Behind-the-scenes jockeying over leadership of both halves of the Legislature has been intense since Assembly Speaker Joseph J. Roberts Jr. announced in early September that he is retiring from the Assembly.

South Jersey Democrats immediately started consolidating support for Sweeney, a West Deptford resident. Sweeney says he's backed by the other five South Jersey senators and eight from central and northern parts of the state - Barbara Buono, Bob Smith, Nicholas Scutari, Raymond Lesniak, Teresa Ruiz, Nia Gill, Paul Sarlo and Brian Stack.

In the contest for Assembly speaker, momentum seems to favor Assemblywoman Sheila Oliver of East Orange. A low-profile, three-term lawmaker, Oliver, 57, is a former Essex County freeholder who is now an assistant Essex County administrator. Oliver would keep geographic balance in the Democratic leadership; she, like Codey, is from Essex County.

Assemblyman John Wisniewski, D-Middlesex, who had been a candidate for speaker, withdrew from the race Tuesday night and endorsed Oliver, who has been securing backers from many of the same legislative districts as those backing Sweeney.

"Sheila would provide the right kind of balance that we need for the Legislature," Wisniewski said. "Makeup of the leadership has historically always been geographically diverse. And it would be good to have a woman as speaker, she has a good track record of experience and the overwhelming support of her colleagues in Essex County as well as from South Jersey."