The political career of Steve Fulop has been filled with speculation essentially since the day he first took office in Jersey City — as a councilman in 2005 and then as mayor in 2013.
On Tuesday, he told residents he will not run for reelection in the fall of 2025.
Fulop was elected to his third term as mayor in the fall of 2021.
Fulop did not discuss any future plans, but many feel he may run for governor — again.
The next gubernatorial election will be held in the fall of 2025. Fulop ran for governor in the 2017 election cycle and was considered an early front-runner, but he surprisingly bowed out in the fall of 2016, sending his support to then-candidate Phil Murphy.
In an email to residents sent out this morning, Fulop wrote:
“I hope this email finds you well and your 2023 is off to a great start.
“I wanted to share with you a decision I made over the new year. I’ve decided with certainty that this will be my last term as mayor and, despite no term limits in Jersey City, I know that I won’t be standing for reelection as Jersey City’s mayor in 2025. You can learn more here.
“I am forever grateful that you elected me for three terms as your mayor — something that hasn’t been done in more than 50 years, and you did it with record pluralities. In turn, I put everything I could into serving as mayor knowing that I strived every single day to make you proud and move the city forward.
“We have done so much together to move Jersey City forward. Our city has become a national model on so many fronts and truly one of the best renaissance stories in the country. I know that three terms is a substantial amount of time to leave a city better than the way it was when we started, and I believe we did that.
“Thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve this amazing city
“I love Jersey City, as it is a very special place with the best communities working together towards a better future.”