While several candidates remain under consideration, Gov. Phil Murphy is increasingly focusing on two members of his cabinet to succeed Sheila Oliver as New Jersey’s next lieutenant governor.
Secretary of State Tahesha Way and Commissioner of Transportation Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti head a short list of candidates for a selection Murphy must make by September 15, three well-placed sources familiar with the process told the New Jersey Globe.
But the list is still evolving, with new names still being considered. All of the candidates are people of color, and most are women, the New Jersey Globe has confirmed. No offers have been extended, and Murphy could go in a different direction over the next three weeks, but he appears to be limiting his search to political allies within his inner circle.
Oliver died on August 1 after an extended illness. Murphy has 45 days to make his pick, which is a direct appointment and does not require Senate confirmation.
Assemblywoman Shavonda Sumter (D-Paterson) also remains in the mix, with other candidates – including other sitting legislators — receiving some consideration.
Just slightly complicating the process, although hardly fatal, is the August 27 deadline for legislative candidates to withdraw from their re-election campaigns; that comes from a new law the governor signed last month.
Still, a sitting legislator could legally resign to become lieutenant governor before Election Day and remain on the ballot for re-election; they would decline to serve when the legislature reorganizes in January, triggering a county committee vote to fill the seat and a special election in 2024.
None of the legislators under consideration to succeed Oliver come from competitive districts, so their seats would not be at risk.
Way and Gutierrez-Scaccetti are widely viewed as having no future political ambition, and their advancement to lieutenant governor would not disrupt the 2025 gubernatorial race. Because both hold cabinet posts, the transition into the number two spot is being viewed as seamless.
But insiders stress that other factors might still sway Murphy.
Murphy is expected to make at least one more out-of-state trip before making a final decision. Senate President Nicholas Scutari will serve as acting governor during that time.
Way, 51, served as a Passaic County freeholder and administrative law judge before Murphy nominated her as Secretary of State after the 2017 election. She is married to former New York Giants fullback Charles Way, who now works for the National Football League.
Black clergymen and activists have pressed Murphy to name another Black woman to replace Oliver.
A career transportation professional, the 64-year-old Gutierrez-Scaccetti has never been a candidate for public office. She served as executive director of the New Jersey Turnpike Authority and ran the Florida Turnpike before joining Murphy’s cabinet more than five years ago.
If picked, Gutierrez-Scaccetti would become the first Latina to hold statewide office in New Jersey.
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