Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop launched his campaign for governor Tuesday, as he officially filed paperwork to open his campaign committee for the 2025 election.
The announcement has been expected for months.
Fulop, a popular three-term mayor, figures to have plenty to run on.
He has helped guide Jersey City into an unprecedented renaissance that has made it an economic and cultural engine of the state. Simply put, he has proven that socially conscious initiatives can not only work with economic efforts, but enhance them.
Fulop’s personal story also contains a lot of the narratives found in a public servant.
Prior to his election as mayor of Jersey City in 2013, Fulop served in the Marine Corps. He enlisted shortly after the 9/11 attacks, later becoming one of the first American soldiers on the ground in Iraq.
He previously worked at Goldman Sachs.
“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 peoples’ lives, and now I’m running for governor to bring those same values to Trenton,” Fulop said in his announcement.
“I’m launching my campaign now because I believe that New Jersey can become an even better place for all of us, and I will be sharing my vision over the coming months for how we will make it happen. I’ve never backed down from a fight before, and I’m ready to work hard for all the people of our great state to deliver the results New Jersey deserves.”
Fulop is the first Democratic candidate to publicly declare. Others are expected to follow.
Long known in the state — and across the country — for his leadership skills, Fulop briefly attempted to earn the Democratic nomination for governor in 2017. Considered a top candidate, he dropped out of the race in the fall of 2016, throwing his support behind Phil Murphy.
