Atlantic County Commissioner Ernest Coursey is endorsing Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop for governor just one day after Atlantic County Democratic Chair Michael Sulieman backed former Senate President Steve Sweeney.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“Mayor Steven Fulop is a proven leader with a detailed policy agenda and a vision to make New Jersey better for all residents, and that’s why I’m excited to run for re-election in 2025 alongside him and my friend Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small, Sr.,” Coursey said in a statement.
“Together with Mayor Small, our plan is to have a full countywide ticket of Democrats who share Steve’s passion for public service and his vision for New Jersey’s future.”
Sweeney and Fulop are longtime political rivals who were expected to vie for the governorship in 2017, but neither ended up running and Phil Murphy won the Democratic nomination easily.
Now with Murphy time limited at the end of his second term in 2025, the two will finally compete against each other for the state’s highest elected office.
Sweeney, who just announced yesterday, has also already secured the support of the Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters, which is not surprising since he is a former iron worker and union official.
Meanwhile, Fulop, who announced in April, has the backing of mayors in Hackensack, Teaneck, Trenton, Mount Holly, Morristown, among others, as well as endorsements from the Hudson County and Warren County Democrats.
Other Democrats on the short list of contenders include U.S. Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-5) and Mikie Sherrill (D-11), as well as Newark Mayor Ras Baraka.
