Gay Former NJ Governor To Run For Jersey City Mayor

New York City’s NBC News affiliate reports:

Former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey will announce plans next week to run for mayor of Jersey City — nearly 20 years after he resigned as chief executive of the Garden State, sources tell NBC New York. An invitation sent by McGreevey’s campaign to supporters invites them to an announcement event next Thursday stating it is about the “Change We Need.”

McGreevey resigned on Aug. 12, 2004 following threats by his lover and Homeland Security Director Golan Cipel to sue him for sexual harassment. His resignation led to his famous statement “And so my truth is that I am a gay American” and the end of his political career — a career that some had speculated could take him to the White House.

Read the full article. If you’re unfamiliar with the wild behind-the-scenes machinations that led to McGreevey’s resignation, this 2004 deep dive by New York Magazine is quite illuminating. Spoiler: Jared Kushner’s father, Charles Kushner, is a major character in the story.

Another aspect of the McGreevey saga via Wikipedia: “In 2006, following his departure from public office, McGreevey published a memoir entitled The Confession. He later pursued ordination in the Episcopal Church and obtained a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) degree from General Theological Seminary in New York City; however, the Episcopal Church declined to ordain him.”

The 2004 video below of McGreevey resigning with his sullen soon-to-be former wife looking on would today spawn endless memes.

Former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey will announce plans next week to run for mayor of Jersey City — nearly 20 years after he resigned as chief executive of the Garden State, sources tell NBC New York https://t.co/VlkdWUAiba

— NBC New York (@NBCNewYork) November 2, 2023