NEPTUNE, NJ – A new poll from Monmouth University shows that New Jerseyans don’t want to see Governor Phil Murphy use checkboxes to determine the successor to the late Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver.
Oliver passed away at the age of 71 earlier this month. Her cause of death is still shrouded in mystery.
Following the unfortunate death of Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver, the first woman of color to occupy a statewide office in New Jersey, the poll indicates that 83% of respondents believe race shouldn’t influence her successor’s selection.
Of those polled, 15% believe a person of color should be appointed: 32% of Black residents, 17% of Hispanics, Asians, and other ethnicities, and 11% of non-Hispanic whites. Furthermore, only 16% prefer a female successor, with 80% stating that gender shouldn’t dictate the choice.
Patrick Murray, the director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute, remarked, “While Sheila Oliver was a trailblazer in New Jersey politics, the majority of residents don’t view gender and race as pivotal criteria for her successor.”