NJ’s Senate president steps in as acting governor after lieutenant governor hospitalized
Misty Severi
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New Jersey is on its second acting governor as of Monday after Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver was hospitalized Monday morning. Oliver was unable to carry out the duties of acting governor.
The state’s Senate president, Nicholas Scutari, a Democrat, will now be the acting governor until Gov. Phil Murphy (D-NJ) returns from a family vacation in Italy or until Oliver recovers, as laid out by the state’s constitution. Oliver is currently receiving care at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, New Jersey.
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“Pursuant to Article V, Section I, paragraph 7 of the New Jersey Constitution, [the senate president] has assumed the duties of Acting Governor effective this morning,” Murphy’s communications director Mahen Gunaratna posted to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “We wish the Lieutenant Governor well as she undergoes medical care and will provide updates to the situation as they arise.”
No further details on Oliver’s condition or status in the hospital have been released. Murphy is not expected to return from his vacation until Aug. 13, according to the governor’s schedule.
“Pursuant to Constitutional mandates, I have again assumed the responsibilities of Acting Governor with a commitment to faithfully discharge the duties of the Office,” Scutari posted to X. “I want to extend my best wishes to Lieutenant Governor Sheila Oliver for a rapid and healthy recovery. We look forward to her return.”
It is the third time that Scutari has stepped in as acting governor since he became the state Senate president, having done so in June of 2022 and again in December.
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Oliver, who is 71 years old, has served as the governor’s right hand since 2018 when she was sworn in as lieutenant governor. She also serves as the head of the Department of Community Affairs. Before she ran as Murphy’s running mate, the lieutenant governor became the first African American woman to serve as speaker of the New Jersey Assembly in 2010.
“Wishing my partner in government a speedy recovery,” Murphy posted to X on Monday.