“Fix NJ”
Jersey City Council 2005-2013, Mayor of Jersey City 2013-Present
stevenfulop.com
This post about 2025 New Jersey candidate for governor Steven Fulop’s campaign for governor of New Jersey is part of Garden State Growth’s blog series exploring the Democratic candidates running in the June 10 gubernatorial primary election.
Candidate Overview
New Jersey candidate for governor Steven Fulop has been Mayor of Jersey City since 2013, following a career as an investment banker and military service as a United States Marine. Fulop is campaigning as a progressive reformer focused on comprehensive policy and government reform. Here’s how he stands on the key Garden State Growth policy pillars:
- Legal Rights and Social Protection – Public statements supporting social justice and LGBTQ and immigrant rights
- Cost of Living and Accessibility – Ambitious plans to enhance public transit, expand congestion pricing, and reform transit, as well as to double affordable housing construction
- Access to Health Care – Child care reform, reproductive health care access reform, mental health and disability investment
- Quality of Education – Reforms to higher education cost and funding; accessibility programming; early childhood education; the school funding formula; desegregation in New Jersey public schools
Steven Fulop’s Platform
Public Safety and Criminal Justice
Fulop’s detailed platform calls for the empowerment of local law enforcement with proper resources. His plans to achieve safety for all New Jerseyans include steps toward reforms in policing, bail, sentencing, and more. To address gun violence enforcement he calls for approaches such as universal background checks, a statewide model of the Jersey City ceasefire unit, and CCTV surveillance in areas with high rates of gun violence.
Transportation and Infrastructure
Claiming that New Jersey once had one of the best mass transit systems in the country, Fulop offers a plan that aims to restore that prominence. He describes approaches he’s taken to improve transportation in Jersey City and proposes funding and investment initiatives for a new approach to congestion pricing, revenue sources to fund and expand existing transportation methods, and plans for reforms in safety, the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC), and the Port Authority.
Housing
Fulop’s goal is to make life affordable for families who want to build their future in New Jersey. He aims to address the housing availability and affordability crisis by doubling the affordable housing production of previous years. This will include mixed-income housing around mass transit with the goal of decreasing the need to rely on personal vehicles for transportation.
Health Care
With Health & Human Services serving as a top priority, Fulop’s platform includes child care reform, bolstering access to reproductive health care, streamlining social services, more investment around drug resources, support for those struggling with mental health and people with disabilities, and better engagement regarding hospitals and insurance in New Jersey.
Education
Fulop’s platform calls for protecting Gov. Murphy’s K-12 programs, combating school segregation, and consolidating school districts to lower cost. In higher education, Fulop calls for capping higher education tuition increases at 2%, lifting family income limits on college savings accounts, and reallocating tuition assistance grants to institutions that serve low-income students.
Governance
Fulop’s campaign touts his early opposition to the county line and notes his support for conflict-of-interest reform, reinstating anti-pay-to-play laws to reduce corruption, increasing transparency requirements for politicians and lobbyists, increasing public comment times for legislation, allowing same-day voter registration, and making it easier for citizens to access public records through OPRA reform.
Sustainability
Fulop supports raising the appliance efficiency target, offshore wind electrical generation, a warehouse development moratorium, nuclear power plant investment, and investment in the Department of Environmental Protection.
Learn More
Continue reading our six-part series to learn more about the Democrats’ other gubernatorial candidates.
Up next: Josh Gottheimer