Secretary of State Tahesha Way named New Jersey's next lieutenant governor
TRENTON, N.J. -- New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy formally named Tahesha Way the state's next lieutenant governor Friday.
"She is as wonderful a person as she is a public servant -- warm, passionate, principled and guided by the honest belief that hard work and perseverance can lead you anywhere," Murphy said.
Way has been in public service since 2006 and has served as New Jersey's Secretary of State since 2018.
"While today marks a new beginning for the Garden State, we will be guided by the same New Jersey values that have guided us since the very beginning of this administration -- freedom, fairness and equal justice for all," Way said.
She succeeds Sheila Oliver and said Friday she hopes to build on Oliver's towering legacy.
"To me, Sheila was more than a trusted colleague. She was a cherished friend, mentor and a role model to the countless amount of Black women and women who have chosen a career in public service, and now as lieutenant governor, I will have the solemn honor of building upon her towering legacy," Way said.
Way was sworn in Friday morning alongside her husband, former New York Giants player Charles Way, and their four daughters.
"I will dedicate every day to fight for the forgotten families of our state. I will do everything to ensure no parent will have to suffer the indignity of choosing between putting food on the table or keeping a roof over their child's head," Way said.
She went to high school in the Bronx, is a graduate of Brown University and holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law at Charlottesville. Before becoming secretary of state, she served as a county commissioner in Passaic County and an administrative law judge.