Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop: Meet the Democratic candidate for NJ governor
Steven Fulop: Meet the candidates for NJ governor
New Jersey Now sits down with Democratic gubernatorial candidate and Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, who explains his plans to implement a "corruption tax" to address statewide affordability concerns, shares his opinions on the Newark ICE raids and much more.
NEW JERSEY - Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop is running to be New Jersey’s next governor, aiming to succeed term-limited Democrat Phil Murphy. He says he's focused on housing, taxes, healthcare and education over other campaign issues.
Who is Steven Fulop?
Dig deeper:
Fulop has served as mayor of Jersey City, the state’s second-biggest city, since 2013 and is in his third term.
According to his campaign website, he made Jersey City the sixth city in the U.S. to ensure paid sick leave and "made Jersey City one of the greenest towns in the nation" during his tenure.
Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop speaks during a press conference on April 11, 2025 in Jersey City, New Jersey. Six people are dead after the sightseeing helicopter carrying a family of tourists from Spain crashed into the Hudson River off Lower Manhat
The 48-year-old is a former Marine who served in Iraq after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
He has Jewish roots and grew up in Edison, New Jersey, according to the campaign website.
He attended Binghamton University and worked at the investment banking firm Goldman Sachs before his career in politics.
Fulop has a wife and three children, according to this Instagram bio.
What are his key policy stances?
Local perspective:
Fulop launched his bid for governor back in 2023.
He said he's prioritizing "comprehensive and impactful" policies, including affordability and sustainability initiatives, along with "meaningful" government reform.
Back in January, Fulop floated the idea of a "reverse congestion pricing" toll in an appearance on Good Day New York.
NJ mayor talks 'reverse congestion pricing' toll
Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, who's also running for NJ governor, is floating the idea of a reverse congestion pricing toll. He joined Good Day New York to explain.
"New Jersey has the same opportunity to push the buttons that New York is pushing against us," Fulop said. "We could do that to them, but the goal is to get to a table to have a reasonable solution."
Fulop suggested New Jersey could implement similar fees, capitalizing on the state's opportunities for cross-border tolling, especially in areas like Staten Island, Bergen County and Hudson County.
What they're saying:
"Our campaign is about change, and that's both political change, structural change, governmental change and anybody who's followed all of these candidates running for governor, ours is the most substantive in talking about what we got to change for New Jersey," Fulop said in an interview on NJ now.
He's also pitched a corruption tax and budget reform to address affordability issues in the state.