Current Commentary by Former Governors

New Jersey governors often stay active in politics even after leaving office, particularly on issues they feel most passionate about, such as the environment. This section collects some of the most prominent examples of gubernatorial commentary after leaving office:

• On Governors’ Perspectives with Kent Manahan, reporter Kent Manahan sits with former governors of New Jersey to discuss issues relevant to the current political climate.
• Governors Thomas Kean and Brendan Byrne participated in a long-running column in the Star-Ledger, in which they discussed the issues of the day on a bipartisan basis. An index to many of those conversations is available here.
• Governor Christine Todd Whitman has been outspoken in her opposition to President Donald Trump, despite being a fellow Republican, including in this 2015 column in Politico.
• The late New Jersey journalist Nick Acocella hosted Pasta & Politics on NJTV, in which he cooked an Italian dish with a guest from the New Jersey political world. These guests were often former governors.
• On November 16, 2013, the Eagleton Center on the American Governor and the New Jersey Historical Commission co-sponsored an event titled “The New Jersey Governor: From the Age of the Town Crier to Twitter” at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. The event included a keynote speech from Professor Michael Birkner and two panel discussions. The second panel, moderated by MSNBC host Steve Kornacki, included Governors Brendan Byrne, Jim Florio, and Christine Todd Whitman. Kornacki also gave closing comments. The agenda for the program is available here. Video of the full event is currently available on the New Jersey Historical Commission website.