The Jewish mayor of Jersey City, Steve Fulop, announced his bid for New Jersey governor in 2025 on Tuesday.
Fulop made the announcement in a video that evoked the 9/11 terrorist attacks and noted that it prompted the now-mayor to leave his cushy job at Goldman Sachs to join the Marines.
“I believe leadership is standing up for what you believe in,” Fulop says. “I hope you’re with me because we have a lot to do.”
Fulop, who his proud of his Jewishness, has been the mayor of Jersey City for 9 years – a period during which the city became New Jersey’s second most populous.
He was also the most visible public official in the aftermath of the anti-Semitic Jersey City attack at a kosher grocery which left three people dead.
“From my time serving as a U.S. Marine to leading Jersey City as mayor, my career has always been guided by a strong desire to take on difficult challenges and find solutions that help improve people’s lives, and now I’m running for governor to bring those same
values to Trenton,” he said.
“I’m launching my campaign now because I believe that New Jersey can become an even better place for all of us,” he said, “and I will be sharing my vision over the coming months for how we will make it happen. I’ve never backed down from a fight before.”
Watch his gubernatorial bid announcement video below.