It’s official. Ray Lesniak is going all-in to become the governor of New Jersey.
The long-time state senator decided to end months on-again, off-again flirtation with a statewide campaign, and finally filed paperwork last Wednesday to run for governor with the New Jersey State Election Law Enforcement Commission.
Lesniak will face Democrat Phil Murphy and Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, who are the current favorites to win their respective party’s nominations. Republican Guadagno, however, has yet to announce if she will seek the gubernatorial seat.
Lesniak, a proponent of gambling expansions in New Jersey, had indicated in 2015 that he will not seek reelection in the legislature he has served for close to four decades. But the Democratic state senator had waffled on his bid for the state’s top office that will be vacated by Chris Christie.
“The final decision for me was I could not hold myself back,” Lesniak told NJ.com. “The state of New Jersey needs fundamental reform and restructuring. The state needs a fighter and I’m a fighter.”
The person who will replace Christie will have to deal with gambling issues, given the presence of casinos in Atlantic City. Lesniak has proven himself to be extremely involved and interested in securing the state’s gambling industry.
Lesniak has been a long-time supporter of iGaming in the United States. It was his bill, and persistence, that saw online gambling return to New Jersey, and he still has plans to turn the Garden State into a gambling mecca, after championing for inter-state and international partnerships. Having Lesniak as a governor could pave the way for New Jersey’s inclusion in the Multi State Internet Gaming Association (MSIGA), alongside Delaware and Nevada.
But if Lesniak takes over from Christie, he may have to go head-to-head with Sheldon Adelson. The state senator has already vowed to do whatever it takes to fight the Sands boss’s willingness to ban online gambling throughout the country.
