Tahesha Way, New Jersey’s secretary of state, will step in as lieutenant governor following the August passing of Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver.
Before Way, 51, was sworn in Friday, Gov. Phillip Murphy lauded her as a ”brilliant” and “battle-tested” professional who will be his top deputy, People reported.
As secretary of state, Way “has been a vital member of my administration since day one,” Murphy said in a statement, adding that she has consistently demonstrated the ability to handle “the single most important responsibility of any Lieutenant Governor. And that is being ready to step in, and serve as Governor, if needed.”
As the state’s third lieutenant governor, an office that residents voted in 2005 to create, according to The New York Times, Way would become acting governor if the governor is traveling, incapacitated or otherwise unable to perform his duties.
Way, a lawyer who has served as a county commissioner and administrative law judge, has overseen New Jersey elections and tourism as secretary of state since 2018 and will remain in the role as she takes on the additional responsibility of lieutenant governor.
Oliver, who died Aug.1 at age 71 of undisclosed causes after a brief hospitalization in late July, had served as lieutenant governor since 2018 and blazed a trail as New Jersey’s first Black woman elected to serve as speaker of the General Assembly.
Murphy said he would remember Oliver as “an incredibly genuine and kind person whose friendship and partnership will be irreplaceable,” a statement he shared via social media after her passing.
Way called Oliver a mentor and friend during their time together in office, adding that her predecessor left a legacy as a role model for other Black women in politics, according to The Times.
“I will have the solemn honor of building upon her towering legacy,” Way said. She said her guiding principle in office would be “freedom, fairness and equal justice for all.”
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