Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop has revealed the first nine members of his 2025 gubernatorial campaign team, including two Hudson County mainstays and seven others with experience statewide and beyond.
“Any successful campaign requires talented, experienced leaders who believe in the candidate’s vision and will work as hard as they can to achieve victory, and that is exactly what we have been able to assemble in a very short period of time,” Fulop said in a statement.
“I’m proud that we have already been able to recruit so many volunteers, and our team will be working alongside me to build a grassroots supporter network that will allow us to connect with everyday residents across the state, listen to their concerns and hopes and show them that we can build an even better New Jersey together.”
Those already on board the Fulop for governor team include Scott Salmon, a partner at Jardim, Meisner & Susser, P.C., where he is the chair of the firm’s election group. He will serve as campaign counsel.
Lisa Mandelblatt, the political director for former U.S. Rep. Tom Malinowski, has been pegged as the senior advisor for community engagement, while Closter Councilwoman Janine Chung has signed on as the lead volunteer organizer.
Jersey City Democratic Organization Chair Barbara Stamato, who is running for state Assembly in the 31st Legislative District with the Hudson County Democrats blessing, will serve as the Hudson County coordinator.
On Monday, when Fulop listed three reasons whey he decided to jump into the June 3rd, 2025 contest early in an email blast, HCV noted that McCann was listed as his campaign treasurer.
Vision Media’s Phil Swibinski has signed on as the lead communications and direct mail strategist, which comes as no surprise given that he served in virtually the same capacity when Fulop was elected to a third term convincingly in November 2021.
Additionally, Putnam Partners CEO Mark Putnam will be the media consultant, with prior clients including former President Barack Obama (D) and more recently the primary ad maker for President Joe Biden’s (D) “United the Country” super PAC.
Another recent Biden media advisor, Gambit Strategies Co-Founder Megan Clasen, will be a digital consultant, while longtime pollster Fred Yang will run the numbers for Fulop – a role he has assumed for years.
Finally, Jones Mandel Founder Ian Mandel has been tapped as a research consultant, a role he has served in for the Democratic National Committee.
Fulop launched his campaign last Tuesday, becoming the first candidate to formally do so.
Other potential Democratic candidates include U.S. Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-5) and Mikie Sherrill (D-11), along with former Senate President Steve Sweeney, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, and Montclair Mayor Steve Spiller – who is also the NJEA president.
On the other side of the aisle, former state Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli, who lost to Murphy by about three points in November 2021, has said he plans to run again (he also tried in 2017), but has not formally declared yet.
NJ 101.5 host Bill Spadea, who has already taken shots at both Fulop and Ciattarelli, also appears poised to run, particularly after opening a super PAC last month.