NJ governor candidate Steven Fulop said experience as Jersey City mayor sets him up for success
JERSEY CITY, New Jersey (WABC) -- Steve Fulop has been the mayor of Jersey City for three terms, helping usher in its renaissance with a growing cityscape, jobs, beautified parks and some forward thinking.
"For most of the things that Phil Murphy would say today are his biggest accomplishments, the first place they happened were in Jersey City, the minimum wage, paid sick leave, decriminalizing cannabis, vision zero bikeshare program, mass transit," Fulop said. "I mean, all of those things, we were kind of the laboratory of change."
And Fulop hopes to bring more change to the governor's office.
"In New Jersey, nobody is more experienced in housing, both affordable and market rate, than what we do here," Fulop said.
Fulop wants more affordable housing built around the state.
And when it comes to transit, instead of suing New York over congestion pricing, he wants to collaborate and ensure New Jersey gets a cut of the proceeds.
"We're intertwined and this back-and-forth scenario with pointing fingers on dysfunction isn't helpful," Fulop said. "There needs to be shared revenue and a regional kind of conversation."
Fulop believes the election in November is a referendum on Murphy and says being a mayor first sets him up for success at the state level.
"I think the most important skill set that's transferable to be governor is to be a mayor," Fulop said. "You're responsible for a budget. You're responsible for employees, negotiating with unions. Being a legislator is a totally different animal."
Fulop has had his eye on the governor's office and was the first candidate to announce his campaign back in April of 2023.
The early campaigning has helped him gain traction and he's now in a close race with the frontrunner, another military veteran, Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill.
But Fulop believes younger voters will help him succeed.
"It's going to be a test on June 10th whether they want a candidate that is a traditional party establishment, vanilla candidate, or do they want change and reform," he said.
And if he doesn't win, this could be his last campaign. The father of three, who once worked in finance, would consider returning to the private sector.
There are six Democrats and five Republicans in the running for New Jersey governor. Eyewitness News will profile a candidate for governor each day this week.
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