As Democratic candidates for governor tour the state to ask county parties for their endorsement, Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop has made clear he wants no part of those events.
The mayor is running a staunchly anti-establishment campaign, arguing he’d rather speak directly to the voters than to crowds of party insiders. And as county convention season roars on, Fulop is rarely farther than a stone’s throw from the action.
On Monday night, the Essex County Democratic Screening Committee met and ended up recommending the endorsement of Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-Montclair). As the committee met, Fulop spoke to dozens of voters in the Essex County town of Montclair—the hometown of Sherrill and New Jersey Education Association President Sean Spiller, who are both running for governor.
On Tuesday night, Bergen County Democrats convened and endorsed Bergen County’s own, Rep. Josh Gottheimer of Tenafly. As the Bergen Democratic convention proceeded, Fulop met with dozens of voters at an Elks Lodge in Tenafly.
The county conventions are regimented and rarely revelatory. Candidates typically have just minutes to present their case to committee members.
The conventions, though, will undoubtedly have less influence this year than in previous election cycles. County parties can no longer grant their chosen candidate an advantageous ballot position after a federal judge ruled that ballot system, known as the county line, to be unconstitutional. In the absence of decisive county conventions, several primary candidates, including Fulop and most of the Republican field, have decided to skip the events altogether and take their campaigns directly to voters.
Fulop’s has made his counterprogramming a selling point. At Tuesday night’s meet-and-greet, he told attendees he’s not only the most thoughtful candidate regarding policy but also the candidate most willing to have tough conversations with voters throughout the state.
“The goal is that you’ll leave here saying this campaign is different because it is more throughout around public policy, it is more engaged and understands how to get those things forward,” Fulop said.
That promise was tested during his Tenafly event when several attendees pressed him about a bill that would codify the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism into New Jersey law—Fulop said he would veto the legislation.
The mayor spoke with several guests about the bill, antisemitism, Israel, and other related topics for about 45 minutes. Fulop, who is Jewish, discussed how he is descended from Holocaust survivors and how his dad fought in the Six-Day War of 1967 as a member of the Israel Defense Forces.
The mayor said he supports the work of the New Jersey-Israel Commission, saying it elevates the state’s technology and relationship with Israel. But he also said he doesn’t believe implementing the IHRA definition of antisemitism is in the best interest of New Jersey or its Jewish residents.
Fulop said New Jersey has aggressive hate crime laws on the books, and while he’s open to a debate about whether state law enforcement officials effectively enforce the laws, the mayor doesn’t think the antisemitism-focused legislation would benefit Jewish residents in the long term.
“You will have lines of people out saying, ‘Why is it unique to Jewish people … and nobody else,’” Fulop said. “And I do not think that is a productive place for the Jewish community to be. I don’t think it’s healthy, I think it encourages more antisemitism.”
Fulop said he’s also concerned the bill could hurt freedom of speech in the state.
The war in Gaza has caused some splintering within the Democratic Party, and the debate over the IHRA bill has garnered headlines in New Jersey. The bill to designate a state definition of antisemitism has dozens of sponsors in the Legislature, and Sherrill and Gottheimer have said they would sign the bill.
Another supporter of the bill was sitting alongside Fulop. Tamar Warburg, an attorney who is running for Assembly on Fulop’s slate in the 37th legislative district, was asked if she agrees with the mayor’s stance on the antisemitism bill.
Warburg, the general counsel at the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater MetroWest NJ, is challenging a pair of incumbent Democrats in June’s primary alongside Tenafly Councilman Dan Park. Warburg said she supports the bill and thinks the legislation tackles antisemitism while maintaining freedom of speech protections.
“I think that people need to understand—and I think the legislation helps with this—that the definition of antisemitism does change a lot over time,” Warburg said. “I do believe this virulent anti-Zionism is the new antisemitism, and I feel very strongly about that.”
Still, Warburg said she respects Fulop’s opinion about the IHRA bill, saying his position is well-reasoned.
“There’s diversity of opinion among this group,” she said. “Mayor Fulop respects all of us with our views, and I certainly respect his view.”
Less than two weeks before Fulop spoke with Jewish residents about their concerns, the mayor was interrupted by pro-Palestinian activists at a gubernatorial candidate forum hosted by Senator Andy Kim. The activists wanted to know why none of the candidates had mentioned the war in Gaza, and Fulop went on to say that his conversations about issues like the IHRA definition show he can be a strong leader who stands by his principles.
“The Jewish community didn’t like that I said that, and I explained to them why this is not a good bill,” Fulop said during the forum. “For those of you that are supportive of it, I urge you to look at what I said. I explain in detail why I believe what I believe and why it is good for the future of New Jersey.”
In a race in which other candidates hold the advantage of county-level resources and party endorsements, Fulop has made clear he hopes voters find him to be the most honest candidate.
“I’m going to say the exact same thing in a room full of Jewish people that I do in a room full of Muslim people,” he said.
At his meet-and-greets, and Fulop has six more planned through the end of March, the mayor touts the policy platforms listed on his website. He has so far released seven platforms on issues including housing, transit, and governmental reform, and each platform is longer than 10 pages.
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka has five similarly detailed policy proposals on his website, and Gottheimer has released two major platforms on lowering costs and taxes in the state. Sherrill, Spiller, and former Senate President Steve Sweeney have yet to publish detailed proposals of their plans for the state.
“I’m not asking for your vote today, I really am not,” Fulop said Tuesday night. “I was here to answer questions, and my hope out of this is that you leave here and you spend a little time on each of our websites. It’s my only ask. Go look at all six candidates, kick the tires on them, because I know that if you do that and are fair, you’ll volunteer.”