New Jersey Gubernatorial Candidate Steven Fulop on Medicaid Plans

Newsweek

13-05-2025

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New Jersey Democratic gubernatorial candidate Steven Fulop told Newsweek he would use the state's budget surplus to offset potential Medicaid cuts if elected governor.
Why It Matters
House Republicans have proposed legislation with $880 billion in cuts, largely to Medicaid, in order to approve $4.5 trillion in tax breaks, despite pushback from some conservatives. If passed, this could have implications for the 80 million Americans on Medicaid if states don't increase funding.
Fulop, the mayor of Jersey City, said protecting against these cuts would be a priority if he is elected governor later this year. He is facing several other candidates in the June 10 Democratic primary, with no candidate having a major polling lead four weeks out. Election forecasters consider the general election in November competitive.
What To Know
In a phone interview with Newsweek on Tuesday, Fulop cast himself as the strongest candidate to reform the state government and oppose the policies of President Donald Trump and national Republicans.
He said his message on the campaign trail that differentiates him from other candidates includes his plan to use the state's $6.3 billion budget surplus to address these potential Medicaid cuts.
"I speak about drawing down on the state's surplus to offset some of the cuts that would be coming to Medicaid and to the Department of Education," he said. "That way we can make sure that we can get through a crisis situation by using that state surplus different from anybody else."
Jersey City Mayor and New Jersey gubernatorial candidate Steven Fulop speaks during a press conference on April 11, 2025.
Jersey City Mayor and New Jersey gubernatorial candidate Steven Fulop speaks during a press conference on April 11, 2025.
Kena Betancur/VIEWpress
Medicaid cuts have drawn criticism from other Democrats running for governor in New Jersey. Representatives Mikie Sherrill and Josh Gottheimer have opposed GOP budget proposals over concerns about Medicaid cuts. In a Monday post on X (formerly Twitter), Sherrill described the plan as "devastating for New Jersey families."
Fulop said his top priorities for New Jersey would also include improving the state of its transit, restructuring the tax code to address affordability and implementing government reforms such as ranked choice voting and reinstating the Open Public Records Act.
He predicted that a more "institutional" Democrat would be at risk of losing to a Republican in the November general election.
"The talking point from Republicans is going to be 'Four more years of Phil Murphy,'" he said. "So I think that we're unique in a situation that we're coming from a place where we're saying, 'Yeah, the Democratic Party in New Jersey has been broken, and we need to rebuild the Democratic Party.'"
Polls suggest that many voters are still undecided about who they'll support in next month's primary. Sherrill has held a consistent yet narrow lead in recent surveys.
New Jersey, once a safely Democratic state, shifted toward Republicans in last year's election. Former Vice President Kamala Harris carried it by only about six points, a much closer margin than former President Joe Biden's 16-point win in the state four years earlier.
What People Are Saying
Dan Cassino, professor of government and politics at Fairleigh Dickinson University, previously told Newsweek: "The Democratic race is a toss-up. It's been very tight between Sherrill, Fulop and Baraka throughout, and it's still tight."
New Jersey Representative Mikie Sherrill wrote in a February press release: "Washington Republicans may tell you they are not cutting Medicaid — but don't be fooled. They are cutting $880 billion from Medicaid. And let me be clear about what that actually means: there are nearly two million New Jerseyans — including 800,000 children — who rely on Medicaid for health care coverage. With these cuts, New Jerseyans won't be able to go to the doctor when they are sick, hospitals will close their doors, seniors will lose nursing home care, and Community Health Centers will no longer be able to serve our most vulnerable communities."
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, also running for governor, posted on X in March: "We are at a defining moment in this nation. Republicans have made it clear that they are willing to gut Medicare and Medicaid, strip away fundamental protections for our most vulnerable, and allow the disastrous policies of the Trump/Musk administration to continue unchecked."
What Happens Next
After the June 10 primary, voters will head to the polls for the general election on November 4. The Cook Political Report currently classifies the race as leaning Democrat, meaning it is "considered competitive" but Democrats have an "advantage."