Jersey City Mayor Steven M. Fulop (D) announced his intention not to seek re-election back in January — and now, we know why. Mayor Fulop has shared via a social media video posted this morning that he will be running for Governor of New Jersey in the 2025 election. He is currently serving his third term as mayor, a position that is not term-limited. Read on to learn more about this announcement and what it means for Jersey City government.
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About the January Announcement
Mayor Fulop shared a video announcement with supporters via an email in January 2023. The video calls back to his initial 2013 campaign video while Mayor Fulop shares thoughts and reflections on his time as a public servant in Jersey City.
“In the past 10 years, we’ve changed Jersey City for the better,” he said. “We’ve set the standard for what a city can be.” He went on to point out achievements in building affordable housing, increasing public transit options, and other bright spots.
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Mayor Fulop described being Mayor as “the privilege of a lifetime.” While the message in the video focused on Mayor Fulop’s previous nine years as Mayor, he has been involved with city leadership for 17 years. He served eight years as a city councilman before becoming mayor.
“As we go into 2023, this video is me thanking you for giving me the chance to be your Mayor,” he said. “I won’t be on the ballot again as mayor. It’s time for someone else to lead this special city.” The next mayoral election in Jersey City is in 2025.
The Decision to Run for Governor
At the very least, Mayor Fulop still has two more years as Mayor — but he has officially announced his intention to run for New Jersey Governor in 2025. This is his third term as mayor, as he was re-elected in 2021. The current term will end in early 2026. Mayors in Jersey City are not term-limited, so the decision to announce his plans not to run again earlier this year had politicos across the state guessing that he had plans to run for governor: and they were right.
Mayor Fulop announced his plans to run for Governor via an online video, which, per Patch, “starts with images of the World Trade Center falling and notes that Fulop left his job at Goldman Sachs after September 11 to join the Marines.” See the video below.
In an Instagram posted today, April 11th, Mayor Fulop said “From my time serving as a U.S. Marine to leading Jersey City as mayor, my career has always been guided by a strong desire to take on difficult challenges and find solutions that help improve people’s lives.” He continued, “and now I’m running for governor to bring those same values to Trenton.” He continued to share “I’m launching my campaign now because I believe that New Jersey can become an even better place for all of us.”
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While Jersey City’s mayors are not term-limited, the Governor of New Jersey is. Current Governor Phil Murphy (D) is in his second term and cannot run for re-election. Observers thought that Mayor Fulop would perhaps run for Governor in 2017, but instead, he worked to support then-candidate Phil Murphy.
Meanwhile, Mayor Fulop’s decision not to run for re-election opens up the field for candidates to run for Jersey City Mayor. Observers note that some leading candidates include County Commissioner Bill O’Dea (D-2), Ward E Councilman James Solomon, and Council President Joyce Waterman.
Residents who are interested in learning more about running for a local office in Jersey City can access information through the Jersey City Clerk’s office, the Hudson County Clerk’s office, and the New Jersey Election Commission.
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