In a move that will set off a political tsunami in Hudson County and across the state, a group of hugely influential Democratic officials, including County Executive Craig Guy and Union City Mayor/State Sen. Brian P. Stack, said today that they are prepared to support Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-Wyckoff) for governor next year against the county’s favorite son, Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop.
Guy and Stack, along with Bayonne Mayor Jimmy Davis, West New York Mayor Albio Sires, and Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner, said Gottheimer is their first choice for governor and urged him to run.
The decision of Guy to back Gottheimer leaves Fulop without the support of his home county chairman and gives Gottheimer a major foothold into Hudson, along with his own political base in Bergen.
“I’m convinced he would be the best candidate for governor and for Hudson County families,” Guy stated. “Josh does the work to connect directly with people here in Hudson County and listen to their concerns. We represent local mayors and people in Hudson County who want Josh to run. If he does, Josh will wholeheartedly have our support.”
Stack is the GOTV King and is among the few officials in the state who can deliver large pluralities just by asking voters to vote a certain way.
“Jersey needs a straight shooter like my good friend, Josh, who does what he says and is true to his word,” said Stack, the powerful chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. “Someone who is a hands-on leader, who puts Hudson County families and Jersey cities ahead of their own ambitions.”
Fulop had been expected to emerge with a strong plurality out of Hudson County and had the endorsement of Anthony Vainieri, the county chairman and former county commissioner who was pushed out and replaced by Guy last month.
A North Jersey Democratic leader told the New Jersey Globe that Bergen County Democratic Chairman Paul Juliano, who has been speaking to key Democrats across the state on Gottheimer’s behalf, has a close relationship with Hudson County Democrats.
Days after Guy won the county chairmanship, he rebuffed Fulop’s request for an endorsement. Fulop responded with a public statement that four Democratic members of the Hudson County Democratic Assembly delegation, along with Sheriff Frank Schillari, would turn down the organization slogan and run with him.
Fulop claims Guy assured him that he would honor Vainieri’s commitment, but cited his support for abolishing the organization line and his decision to flip his U.S. Senate endorsement from Tammy Murphy to Andy Kim as reasons for the delay.
Guy said he’s seen Gottheimer’s ability to “work with anyone to get things done for Jersey.”
“We need someone who can unite everyone — and that’s Josh. His record is second-to-none as a fighter for Jersey families — from passing commonsense gun safety legislation to fixing our roads, bridges, transit, and rail, to blocking the Congestion Tax,” said Guy, a former Jersey City police officer who became county executive in January. “He cares about protecting women’s health care, lowering costs for families, and standing by our veterans.”
Davis, a three-term mayor, said Gottheimer was “the kind of get-it-done leader that Bayonne and Hudson County needs in the governor’s office.”
“He is willing to work with anyone if it’s good for Jersey — and to live by his word,” Davis said. “He is honorable and does what he says. Josh will have my full support if he decides to run for Governor.”
In what could be the first gubernatorial primary without county organization lines since U.S. District Court Judge Zahid Quraishi abolished them for the June primary election, Gottheimer now has the political infrastructure to compete in a vote-rich Democratic county.
Union City has about a quarter of the number of registered Democrats as Jersey City but punches above its weight on Election Day.
In 2021, when Gov. Phil Murphy was unopposed in the Democratic primary, Union City produced a 36% voter turnout while Jersey City was at 12%. Fulop has the endorsement of North Bergen Mayor Nicholas Sacco, whose town made up 13% of Hudson’s vote in the last primary.
Union City, Bayonne, West New York, and Weehawken made up 38.7% of the total votes cast three years ago. The math in Hudson could get interesting; Stack now represents North Bergen in the legislature, and there is a pot of voters there who will follow him, not Sacco.
Stack has been at odds with Fulop for the last five years, and the two have been unable to reassemble the pieces of a once-strong alliance.
He called Gottheimer “someone who cares about affordable housing, good schools, and clean streets and drinking water. Someone who has a record of rolling up his sleeves to govern for the people.”
“That’s Josh — and no detail is too big or too small,” said Stack. “He wakes up every day ready to govern and work for regular folks.”
While Weehawken is small, Turner, the mayor since 1990, has had an outsized influence across Hudson County, and his endorsement is a major get for Gottheimer.
“Josh Gottheimer is the best candidate for the job of Governor, hands down. He will listen to — and learn from — our mayors and local communities. He will adopt their best ideas and practices across the state,” explained Turner. I’ve urged Josh to run and look forward to enthusiastically supporting his campaign for Governor.”
Fulop remains popular in Jersey City, where he has been elected mayor three times – the last two by wide margins. Jersey City has about 88,000 registered Democrats, offering Fulop a humungous number of potential votes, but he’ll need resources to turn them out.
Sires served his final six years in Congress with Gottheimer, who ousted a seven-term incumbent in 2016, running in a district that Donald Trump carried.
“Working side by side with Congressman Gottheimer in the House, I got to see first-hand his boundless energy, fight, and commitment to Jersey families,” said Albio Sires, who spent sixteen years in Congress before returning home to run for mayor. “Josh is all about protecting our Jersey Values, whether that’s defending abortion or the environment, standing up for veterans and first responders, or making childcare and housing costs more affordable.
This year, Gottheimer is seeking re-election to a fifth term in Congress from New Jersey’s 5th district, which includes part of Bergen, Passaic, and Sussex counties. He faces Republican Mary Jo Guinchard.
The four-term congressman is unlikely to join the race until after his re-election campaign is over; running for two offices simultaneously could muddy up his ability to qualify for public financing.
Gottheimer, the Human Fundraising Machine, has over $19.4 million cash-on-hand. While his fundraising prowess and Bergen County base had been viewed as his top assets for a statewide candidacy, the early Hudson commitments are the first demonstration of his ability to pick up major support outside his own congressional district.
Fulop has been seeking support in Bergen County – he already has the endorsement of former Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D-Englewood) – and is not expected to cede any ground in the state’s largest county.
Soon after entering the governor’s race in 2023, Fulop quickly raised enough to qualify for the maximum match under New Jersey’s gubernatorial public financing law. His super PAC, Coalition for Progress, has $9 million banked.
Former Senate President Steve Sweeney and former Montclair Mayor Sean Spiller, the president of the New Jersey Education Association, are also announced candidates for governor. Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-Montclair) is preparing for a statewide run; Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, former Commissioner of Health Shereef Elnahal, and former Deputy U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Jim Johnson are also potential candidates.