New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy will be term-limited out of office at the end of 2025, and Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop announced on Tuesday that he will seek the nomination to be the next governor of the Garden State. Fulop appeared on 710 WOR’s Len Berman and Michael Riedel in the Morning program to discuss his political future.
“I need the runway to organize,” Fulop told Berman and Riedel about his decision to announce his intent to run more than two and a half years out. “So, if I’m going to build a campaign in- or outside the traditional political structure and not just rely on political bosses charting out my destiny, then it just takes time to organize that, and so I need that extra time and runway to do it effectively.”
Fulop says taxes and the cost of living in New Jersey are the top priorities facing New Jersey voters. “The number one issue in New Jersey going into an election is going to be affordability, and the fact that the state needs reform around livability, because it is very expensive to live there, so you need to kind of revisit how you approach property taxes in its entirety and then take that as the first step to make it more affordable for people. That’s going to be the priority.”
Running as a Democrat, Fulop then emphasized what he thinks is still good about the state. “The shore is terrific, I think the fact that we have the best schools in the country is a great thing, we have great communities all across the state. So there’s a lot of good things; you just need to solve the affordability, and I think the transportation issue’s gonna be a key one, as well.”