FORT LEE - Steve Fulop had just finished his standard campaign speech Thursday night when the first question was about Donald Trump.

The November gubernatorial election is going to be about Trump, right? So said one of about 75 people gathered in a borough high-rise for a "meet and greet" with candidate Fulop.

"It's not going to end up being a referendum only on Donald Trump," Fulop said.

The crowd seemed surprised.

Fulop explained that many people in New Jersey voted for Trump. For the record, Trump got almost 2 million votes or 46 percent last fall.

Fulop said a smart candidate seeks to expand his base. In this case, that means reaching out to Republicans and unaffiliated voters who won't be moved by a candidate who constantly criticizes Trump.

He said they want to know how a governor would deal with such things as taxes, NJ Transit and the state's overall unaffordability.

"If you make it solely about Donald Trump, you will lose," Fulop said.

This was both an interesting and a premature take.

As it was when Trump first took office, his presence spurs opposition among Democrats, as we have seen with demonstrations around the state and country.

It's "premature" because Fulop must win the June 10 primary before worrying about how to corral independents and some Republicans this fall.

A lot of Fulop's argument is that he's "different."

He already has announced his candidate for lieutenant governor - Sheena Collum. He also has put together a roster of Assembly candidates, two of whom attended Thursday's event.

They were Tamar Warburg and Daniel Park. Both are running in LD-37 against incumbent Democrats Shama Hader and Ellen Park.

Also on hand was Bill O'Dea, who is running to replace Fulop as Jersey City mayor. O'Dea said simply that Fulop is a friend.

Another question was an unsurprising one.

What can you do to make New Jersey a place in which seniors can retire?

Not an easy question by any means.

One of Fulop's answers got in the weeds a bit. He talked about the revaluation process in which homes are periodically revalued. This often increases the assessment - and tax bill - on homes owned by seniors on fixed incomes. His plan for seniors would be to reassess homes when they are sold.

Fulop also criticized the "Stay New Jersey" program because there is no way to fund it. It theoretically would reimburse seniors for 50 percent of their property taxes beginning next year. He said there has to be a way to consolidate Stay New Jersey with other programs such as Anchor and the Senior Freeze.

With the primary now only a month away, Fulop emphasizes his aversion to party politics and Democratic leaders. He has not always been in lockstep with Phil Murphy.

Cautiously looking ahead, Fulop said Jack Ciattarelli, the Republican frontrunner, will campaign against "four more years of Phil Murphy."

But ... "Jack Ciattarelli can't make that argument about me," Fulop said, optimistically.

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