Scarinci: Another First for Steve Fulop

Steven Fulop is the first New Jersey gubernatorial candidate in NJ history to name a Lieutenant Governor running mate before the primary election.

As Mayor of Jersey City, Fulop has made his reputation by thinking outside of the box.  His decision to pick a running mate before primary election day is another Fulop first.  This bold move is likely to become the new standard in future gubernatorial primaries.

By comparison, President Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first candidate to pick his own Vice President, instead of deferring the decision to the delegates of the Democratic National Convention. Subsequent Presidential candidates adopted the practice, which is in effect to the present day.

History of Selecting a Vice President

In the earliest days of our country, the Vice President was the person who came in second in the Electoral College voting. As the two-party system evolved, this became impractical. Who wants your political rival as your running mate?  The 12^th Amendment, ratified in 1804, changed that process.

Starting in 1832, party conventions chose their full ticket. After the convention chose a presidential candidate, it went on to choose a Vice-Presidential candidate. Franklin Roosevelt ended this tradition when he insisted that he pick his own Vice President, or he would refuse the nomination.

Future Presidential nominees followed suit. Today, each nominee introduces his or her VP pick to the public ahead of the party’s convention. Walter Mondale started that tradition in 1984, when he made history by naming U.S. Rep. Geraldine Ferraro as the first woman nominee.

Selecting a Lieutenant Governor

Seventeen states, including California and Texas, elect the governor and lieutenant governor separately in the general election, which can lead to two winners from different parties.

States with team tickets use a variety of methods to name a lieutenant governor candidate. Some states hold a separate primary from the gubernatorial candidate, while a party convention selects other lieutenant governor nominees. In New Jersey, the gubernatorial candidate selects his or her own running mate.

New Jersey is rare in that it did not even have the position of lieutenant governor until a voter referendum amended the State Constitution in 2006. Pursuant to the NJ Constitution, the governor and lieutenant governor must be members of the same political party. According to NJ law, the gubernatorial candidate must select a running mate to join the ticket as the candidate for lieutenant governor within 30 days after the certification of the primary election results.

Fulop’s Nomination of South Orange Mayor

Fulop bucked tradition by naming Sheena Collum prior to the Democratic primary election. He obviously made a calculated decision that Collum could withstand the scrutiny of a statewide campaign, and announcing her would help him more than hurt him in the primary election.

In the case of Collum, a three-term mayor of South Orange, few could argue that Fulop’s judgement is correct.  Many consider her as one of New Jersey’s better mayors.  She describes herself as a “policy wonk, political junkie, and perpetual diplomat” who likes to “get in the weeds” when faced with tough issues.  Like Fulop, Collum thinks outside of the box.

The most frequently shared example of her approach to problem solving is her sale of an old village hall that was no longer up to code and required costly repairs. Many were skeptical that she could make it happen, but the building now houses a bustling beer garden, and South Orange’s government offices are located in an accessible commercial building.

As mayor of a transit-oriented municipality, Collum has made regionalization, affordable housing, infrastructure, and smart growth a top priority. She currently serves as Executive Director of the New Jersey Chapter of the American Planning Association. If elected, Fulop plans to make Collum the head of the Department of Community Affairs.

In 2023, Collum was elected to the Executive Board of the New Jersey State League of Municipalities (NJSLOM), which boosted her stature and has given her strong connections to public officials throughout the state. She is in tune with how state policies affect local municipalities and has promised to continue her “boots on the ground” approach.

Like Fulop, Collum has an outside-the-political-machine worldview and offers significant experience working across party lines. “I find that there are very small differences on issues that impact New Jerseyans, that separate Republicans from Democrats,” she told The Village Green. “A lot of it really comes down to things that we deal with on a daily basis, that all residents care about, that really don’t have a slant one way or another – but just ways to make government more efficient and responsive to our taxpayers.”

Finally, Collum and Fulop are also on the same page on a very important issue — both believe that a mayor should be the next leader of New Jersey. This is arguably a contrast to Sherrill and others who are currently serving in Congress.