It’s Jim McGreevey 2.0. After promising never again to seek political office, the 66-year-old Jersey City native on Thursday launched a comeback campaign for mayor in New Jersey’s second-largest city, some 20 years after scandal forced him to resign as the state’s 52nd governor.
“This election is not about yesterday. It’s about our tomorrow. And candidly — I have made mistakes in my own life — for which I have apologized and owned,” McGreevey told supporters who jammed a tiny Dominican restaurant to cheer the Democrat. The restaurant’s owner graduated from McGreevey’s highly-praised Reentry Corporation, a program that helps formerly incarcerated folks rejoin the community.
McGreevey’s new campaign ad released today argues his mistakes helped rehabilitate him. In the ad, he says: “I would not have traded anything that I’ve experienced. It’s made me a better person — more compassionate.”
One likely opponent in the 2025 mayoral election will be Bill O’Dea, the longtime Hudson County Commissioner who is expected to announce on Nov 18th that he’s also running to be Jersey City’s mayor. Current Mayor Steve Fulop has announced he will not seek reelection and plans to run for governor in 2025.
“Jim came here — I’ll call him a carpetbagger — he came back here because he wants to be the mayor,” O’Dea said. “I’ve lived here all my life and served the public all my life, because I love this city.”
