Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop Launches Gubernatorial Campaign

Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop has thrown his hat into the ring for New Jersey governor.

Fulop, a Democrat, officially launched his campaign Tuesday for the 2025 election.

“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. “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 a lifelong New Jerseyan, who grew up in Edison and whose parents owned a Deli in Newark. He graduated from Binghamton University in 1999 and spent time studying at Oxford University in the UK, according to his biography on the Jersey City website. After college, he joined Goldman Sachs, the investment banking firm, working in Chicago and later in Manhattan and Jersey City.

Mayor Fulop was elected as the councilman representing downtown Jersey City in 2005 and served for eight years before becoming mayor in 2013. Prior to being elected to lead Jersey City, he served in the U.S. Marine Corps and enlisted shortly after the 9/11 attacks.

Among his accomplishments as mayor, Fulop ushered Jersey City to become the first city in the state – and the 6th city in the country – to ensure paid sick leave. He’s undertaken public safety reform, while pioneering new ideas for helping prisoners re-enter society. He also made Jersey City one of the greenest cities in the nation.

Under his leadership, Jersey City -- which is directly across the Hudson River from Manhattan -- has also seen a huge development renaissance.

According to Politico, "Fulop’s candidacy itself is far from a surprise. He announced he would not seek reelection as mayor in January in what was widely viewed as a pre-gubernatorial announcement."

However, it is surprising that he would announce it two years out, the report said, citing public financing reasons.

"Prospective candidates often hold off on formally announcing their candidacies because, if they accept public financing as most do, they’re be limited to $7.3 million ahead of the primary. However, a super PAC that’s run by his wife’s business partner called Coalition for Progress, which is all but officially considered Fulop’s, has $6.2 million in the bank," Politico reports.