Five Democratic mayors endorse Fulop for governor

Five more Democratic mayors have endorsed Steve Fulop for governor, including three from towns in Rep. Mikie Sherrill’s congressional district.

Morristown Mayor Tim Dougherty, South Orange Village President Sheena Collum, Summit Mayor Nora Radest, Chatham Borough Mayor Thad Kobylarz, and High Bridge Mayor Michele Lee announced their support for Fulop, a three-term mayor of Jersey City.

“I’m endorsing Steve Fulop for Governor because he has a proven track record of delivering progress for the people of Jersey City, and I’m certain that he has the experience and vision to do the same for New Jersey,” stated Dougherty,  a four-term mayor.  “Democrats have been making strides in Morris County for the last several political cycles, and I believe that with his crossover appeal and ability to excite voters, Mayor Fulop is uniquely positioned to help us continue growing our party and standing up for our shared values.”

Perhaps most important for Fulop is that Morristown, South Orange, Summit, Chatham, and High Bridge are train station towns with a history of strong voter turnout and are probably less likely to follow endorsements by county Democratic organizations blindly.

“New Jersey is in an affordability crisis and lacks the necessary coordination among towns and regions to do better together.  Taxpayers cannot continue to subsidize this inefficiency at all levels of government, and there is no one better to address this than Steven Fulop,” said Collum, re-elected to a third term last month without opposition. “Strong and equitable public policy that benefits all New Jerseyans is only as good as having a leader with the tenacity to implement them.”

Fulop endorsements by Dougherty, Collum, and Kobylarz are blows to Sherrill, a three-term congresswoman widely viewed as a top-tier gubernatorial candidate in 2025 when Gov. Phil Murphy is term-limited.  Morristown, South Orange, and Chatham are in New Jersey’s 11th district, and Dougherty strongly supported Sherrill’s 2018 bid for Congress; Sherrill won all three by wide margins in 2022.

As the lone announced candidate for the 2025 Democratic gubernatorial nomination, Fulop has an almost unimpeded opportunity to score public support for his campaign as other potential contenders focus on their 2023 and 2024 re-election bids.

Radest becomes the third mayor in Union County to endorse Fulop – Shelley Brindle of Westfield and Dahlia Vertreese of Hillside are already on board – a point that is especially significant since Senate President Nicholas Scutari, the Union County Democratic chairman, is considering his own run for governor in two years.

Seven of the Democratic local officeholder supporting Fulop are women.  If she runs and wins, Sherrill will become the first Democratic woman governor and the state’s second woman governor.

She said Fulop “has proven executive experience leading one of the State’s largest cities through both tremendous economic redevelopment and through the challenges of the COVID-19 crisis and more.”

“I am proud to endorse him for Governor, his leadership will serve New Jerseyans well, said Radest.

That brings the total number of mayoral endorsements up to nine, with Marty Small, Sr. of Atlantic City, and Janice Kovach of Clinton already on board.  North Bergen Commissioner Anthony Vainieri, Jr, the Hudson County Democratic chairman, and Closter Councilwoman Jannie Chung have also endorsed Fulop.

Fulop has the backing of the Hudson County Democratic Organization and the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU).

“All five of these excellent mayors have proven themselves to be thoughtful, accessible public servants that their communities can count on, and I’m grateful for their support,” Fulop said.  “Other than the President, mayors are the most well-known elected officials in any municipality, and they have the most credibility with the electorate because they are closest to the residents. I couldn’t be more grateful for the support of these established elected officials and I know they will be key parts of our campaign going forward.”