The Eagleton Center on the American Governor today released a report containing advice to help nominees for governor prepare for the possibility of victory. Drawing on the experience and reflections of participants in previous transitions in New Jersey, From Candidate to Governor-Elect: Recommendations for Gubernatorial Transitions offers factors to think about and actions to take before the election, as well as a checklist of what should be accomplished between the election and inauguration.
The report, which includes recollections, advice and stories from former governors, government officials, political operatives and transition team members, draws on dozens of interviews conducted for this project, as well as extensive material from the archives of the Eagleton Center on the American Governor. In addition to sections on what to do as a nominee, what to do as a governor-elect, and what promises to avoid, the report also includes appendices with timelines of key dates in the transitions of the seven New Jersey elected governors from 1973 through 2009 as well as a list of executive orders issued in each of their first 100 days. Also provided are extensive excerpts from interviews with Governors Brendan Byrne, Thomas Kean, James Florio and Christine Todd Whitman.
We think you will enjoy the anecdotes from past transitions and hope this report will be helpful as we think about the upcoming transition in New Jersey. As you will see in the report, it is not too soon for the candidates to begin laying the groundwork for that crucial 10-week period between election and inauguration.
The report, available online here, was made possible by a grant from The Fund for New Jersey.
