Former NJ governor, US Rep. James Florio dies at 85

Source: Associated Press

Former NJ governor, US Rep. James Florio dies at 85

By BRUCE SHIPKOWSKI
September 26, 2022

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Former New Jersey Gov. James Florio, who championed a plan that substantially raised the state’s sales and income taxes leading to his reelection defeat in 1993, died Sunday. He was 85.

His law partner Doug Steinhardt and current New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy confirmed Florio died in statements on Monday.

“Governor Florio was a fighter who never backed down. He was a leader who cared more about the future of New Jersey than his own political fortunes,” Murphy, a fellow Democrat, said in a statement.

Florio was a longtime public servant who held numerous posts on the local, county, state and federal levels.

A Democrat, he made three unsuccessful runs for the governor before finally succeeding in 1989, when he defeated Republican Jim Courter and became the first Italian-American to serve as the state’s chief executive.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/new-jersey-legislature-obituaries-congress-b4102b81ba8b589090770fa881729b45


FILE - Former Governor of New Jersey, Jim Florio, stands in the Assembly chamber of the Statehouse during an event Tuesday, March 13, 2018, in Trenton, N.J. Florio, who narrowly lost his re-election bid in 1993 died Sunday, Sept. 25, 2022. He was 85. His law partner Doug Steinhardt and current Gov. Phil Murphy confirmed Florio died in statements on Monday. (AP Photo/Mel Evans, File)