Golden downplays gubernatorial run rumors

Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden on Thursday sought to downplay rumors that he’s in talks with political players around the state about a possible run at the state’s governorship in 2021.

“There’s no talk right now,” Golden, who is also Monmouth County Republican chair, said. “As you know – you just came out of a press conference for the NJ GOP – we have a lot of work to do here to battle back on some of these policies that are going on throughout the state.”

Still, Golden would not say that he had no such run planned, pivoting from multiple questions on his rumored aspirations to the budget fight between Gov. Phil Murphy and Democratic legislative leaders.

New Jersey’s Republicans don’t have much sway in that fight, as Democrats control both chambers of the legislature and the governorship, but their role may increase if and when Murphy follows through on his promise to veto the legislative spending bill passed before both chambers Thursday evening.

Though the governor’s desk was in his first floor press room on Friday, his office did not give any indication of whether a veto would come before the start of the weekend.

At the very least, Senate President Steve Sweeney needed some help from Republican senators to get that bill passed.

Sen. Christopher Bateman (R-Branchburg), who shares his district with two Democratic Assembly members, and Sen. Kristin Corrado (R-Totowa), who cast the 21st vote for the bill, were the only Republicans to vote in favor of the bill.

But, while veto override talks have started, they’re still in very early stages, and Golden himself is not a member of the state’s legislature, though his roles as Monmouth County Republican Chairman and sheriff give him a number of horses in the race.

Keeping those horses stabled could help Golden with any gubernatorial aspirations he may have, but he wouldn’t go there.

“I don’t deal in hypotheticals. The governor’s race, that’s something down the road,” he said, ignoring a follow-up about whether it was down the road for him.