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N.J. Gov. Murphy balanced politics and practicality in picking Way for lieutenant governor
By
Nancy Solomon
Published Sep 12, 2023
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By
Nancy Solomon
Published Sep 12, 2023
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When New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy appointed his new lieutenant governor, Tahesha Way, he threaded a needle — avoiding causing problems for Democratic legislators who are up for election and satisfying competing demands by groups seeking broader representation.
“It says that he remains committed to diversity, and to have a cabinet that looks like New Jersey,” said Micah Rasmussen, director of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics at Rider University.
Way, 51, succeeds Sheila Oliver, who died Aug. 1 of an undisclosed illness. Both women are Black and have been trailblazers. Oliver made history as the first Black woman to lead New Jersey's Assembly, and only the second to lead a legislative body in any state. She was also the first Black woman to win statewide office in New Jersey.
Way is the New Jersey Secretary of State, and has led that department for the entirety of Murphy’s term. In that role, she led the election department through the pandemic, instituting a nearly all-mail voting system. She also ran the state’s participation in the 2020 Census.
Rasmussen said Murphy likely didn’t want to pick anyone in the Legislature, because they are all running in the November election and would need to be replaced on the ballot. Nor would Murphy want to pick one of the likely candidates for governor in 2025, he said.
“He did not want to pick sides in any election. And so they're picking somebody who was already in his cabinet,” Rasmussen said. Every lieutenant governor in New Jersey also runs a department, so they can serve in any cabinet position other than attorney general. “So to really look at and drill down on the people who were already running departments, I think, was a natural choice.”
Before becoming secretary of state in 2018, Way was an administrative law judge and had been a member of the Passaic County Board of Commissioners and the New Jersey Highlands Water Protection and Planning Council.
Way is a graduate of Brown University, has a law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law, taught college literature classes and also worked in media. She is married to Charles Way, who played five seasons with the New York Giants football team. They live in Wayne Township, and have four daughters. She grew up in the Bronx.
“We're thrilled for her and I think she's a natural choice,” said Patricia Campos Medina, president of Latina Civic Action. “She has done an excellent job as secretary of state. She's a highly qualified role model. So I think it was the right choice and she will do a great job in fulfilling the legacy of Sheila Oliver.”
The Black Legislative Caucus quickly released a written statement following last week’s announcement supporting Murphy’s choice: “Lieutenant Governor Sheila Oliver was an institution in New Jersey politics and government. It is only fitting to her legacy that her replacement be a Black woman who is committed to public service.”
Campos Medina has long worked for more Latina representation in New Jersey politics and her organization provides leadership training. But she isn’t disappointed that Murphy didn’t pick the first-ever Latina to a statewide position.
“We don't want to put in a competition, you know, between Latinas and Black women,” she said. “We want more Latinas and more Black women to take positions of leadership.”
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