How New Jersey will pick a new lieutenant governor after Sheila Oliver’s death
Oliver, 71, was the state’s second-ever lieutenant governor and the first Black woman in New Jersey elected to statewide office.
As New Jersey mourns the death of trailblazer Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver, officials also need to fill the vacant position.
Oliver, 71, was the state’s second-ever lieutenant governor and the first Black woman in New Jersey elected to statewide office.
Who is Sheila Oliver?
Oliver, a Democrat, was elected lieutenant governor of New Jersey in 2017 alongside Gov. Phil Murphy. She spent nearly three decades working in government, including in the state’s General Assembly, where she made history in 2010 as the first Black woman to serve as Assembly speaker.
Oliver’s family announced Tuesday that she had died following a short hospitalization for an unspecified illness. Prior to her hospitalization, Oliver had been serving as acting governor since last week, when Murphy left the country for vacation.
As Oliver entered the hospital Monday, New Jersey’s Senate President Nicholas Scutari took over as acting governor, per the state’s succession plans.
» READ MORE: Sheila Oliver, Lt. Governor of New Jersey, has died
Where is Gov. Phil Murphy?
Murphy is away on an international vacation in Italy, where he owns a home, according to NJ.com.
He will return to New Jersey within “the next few days,” his communications director Mahen Gunaratna said in an email Tuesday.
Oliver had been serving as the acting governor of New Jersey since Friday, when Murphy left for vacation. Prior to Oliver’s death, Murphy had been scheduled to be out of the country on vacation until Aug. 13.
Who will become lieutenant governor now?
Scutari will remain the acting governor of New Jersey until Murphy returns to the state.
Murphy has 45 days to appoint someone to fill the vacant lieutenant governor position, according to the state constitution.
Asked when Murphy plans to appoint someone, his spokesperson said Murphy is “solely focused” on finalizing Oliver’s funeral arrangements.
What does a lieutenant governor do?
In New Jersey, the lieutenant governor’s main duty is to serve as the successor to the governor if he or she is unable to complete the duties of the office. This can include signing bills into law or serving as acting governor when the governor is out of the country or receiving a medical procedure.
Oliver also held other roles in the administration.
She served as a commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, and she served as the “de facto mayor” of Atlantic City to help revitalize the financially struggling city under the state’s takeover law.
Why have there only been two lieutenant governors in New Jersey?
New Jersey created the lieutenant governor role after voters approved the new position in a 2005 referendum. The referendum came amid public pressure to create the role, after two governors’ resignations in the early 2000s required the state Senate president to take over as the state’s top executive.
New Jersey elected its first lieutenant governor in 2009: Kim Guadagno, who was former Gov. Chris Christie’s running mate.
Oliver was the second lieutenant governor to hold the role, after she and Murphy were elected in 2017.