Who will be Phil Murphy's pick to succeed Sheila Oliver as NJ's next lieutenant governor?
After the sudden death of Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver earlier this month, the line of succession on the state level was thrust into the spotlight.
Now that Oliver’s life has been celebrated, Gov. Phil Murphy is expected to start considering who will fill the post for the remainder of his term.
Oliver was only the state’s second lieutenant governor. The position was created as the result of a constitutional amendment to the New Jersey Constitution approved by the voters on Nov. 8, 2005, and effective as of Jan. 17, 2006.
The need for such a spot was brought about by a spate of incidents that left previous governors unable to fulfill their duties, as in the case of Gov. Jon Corzine, or due to resignations, such as Govs. Jim McGreevey and Christine Todd Whitman. In the last two instances, Senate presidents filled the role of acting governor for more than a year.
Kim Guadagno, a Republican and former Monmouth County sheriff, was New Jersey's first lieutenant governor and was elected alongside her running mate, former Gov. Chris Christie, in 2009. She was inaugurated in 2010. Oliver ran alongside Murphy in 2017 and was inaugurated in January 2018.
Murphy now has to pick a replacement. According to the state constitution, he has 45 days to fill the spot, or about a month left. Candidates for lieutenant governor have to be at least 30 years old and have been a U.S. citizen for at least 20 years and a resident of New Jersey for at least seven years.
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It’s a direct appointment, meaning Murphy does not need the consent of the Senate.
The governor's choice is still unknown, though. If he selects someone currently serving in the Legislature, the vacancy that would create would be temporary. It would be up to the local county committee to appoint someone to fill the seat for the rest of the year, since all 120 seats are up for grabs in November anyway.
Advocacy groups like the United Black Agenda have already called for Murphy to fill the post with another Black woman. Oliver was the first Black woman to serve as speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly in the history of the state of New Jersey and the first Black female lieutenant governor.
The group thinks the “most fitting tribute to her legacy would be to ensure that a Black woman succeed her and carry on her mission.”
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Sheila Oliver: Phil Murphy to pick NJ lt. governor successor
