Podcast Summary: Firewall with Bradley Tusk

Episode Title: Is Business Waking Up from Its 30-Year Nap?
Release Date: March 19, 2026
Guest: Steve Fulop, CEO, Partnership for New York City; former Mayor of Jersey City
Host: Bradley Tusk
Location: P&T Knitwear Bookstore/Podcast Studio, 180 Orchard Street, NYC

Overview & Main Theme

In this candid, wide-ranging conversation, Bradley Tusk sits down with Steve Fulop, the newly appointed CEO of the Partnership for New York City (the “Partnership”), and delves into Fulop’s background, his entry into public service, lessons from local politics, and—most critically—a direct critique and exploration of how the business community’s most prominent civic group can (or can’t) reclaim political relevance after decades of underperformance. The discussion is both an interrogation of establishment business advocacy in New York and a real-time therapy/strategizing session about how to reform it. Tusk pushes Fulop on whether decades of passivity and deference can finally be replaced by real political muscle and field organizing.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Steve Fulop’s Background & Motivation (00:36–09:55)

• Family & Upbringing:
  • Fulop is a first-generation American; family of Holocaust survivors; not religious but culturally Jewish.

    “My parents weren’t really, you know, religious or thinking or talking too much about the Holocaust... but they were.” (02:12, Fulop)

• Education & Career Path:
  • Mediocre student recruited for soccer at Binghamton, improved academically, Goldman Sachs job, then 9/11 shifted his trajectory.
  • Enlisted in the Marines post-9/11.

    “I left to enlist in the Marine Corps… went down to Parris Island, then to Marine Corps Combat Training.” (04:19, Fulop)

• Military Deployment:
  • Describes abrupt deployment process, emotional family moments, and experiencing a worldview shift from serving alongside and learning from people of different backgrounds.

    “Boot camp changed me, and then the deployment changed me because it gave me a perspective on how different people live.” (10:32, Fulop)

The Accidental Start in Politics (11:27–19:20)

• First Foray Into City Hall:
  • Presented with a proclamation by the mayor of Jersey City, Glenn Cunningham; later asked to run for Congress despite never being registered to vote.

    “What I'd like you to do is run for Congress against Bob Menendez.” (13:35, Cunningham via Fulop)

• Initial Campaigns:
  • Lost initial congressional race, but “bit by the bug”—eventually ran for city council, then mayor, succeeding in building an insurgent platform.

Lessons in City Governance (19:20–24:42)

• Nature of City Government:
  • Fulop and Tusk agree city government offers the most direct, tangible public service.

    “Whenever someone young is like, oh, what did you like the best? Oh, city government. By. I mean, it's not even close.” (20:06, Tusk)

• Jersey City’s Uniqueness:
  • Touches on its density, diversity, and split identity (“not quite a suburb, not quite a city”).

The Failed Gubernatorial Bid & Political Lessons (20:59–23:57)

• Path to Running for Governor:
  • Fulop describes the strategy of running as an outsider with an issue-heavy platform, underestimating Trump-driven voter turnout.

    “I think I ran the right race in the wrong moment... a lot of things have to do with timing and circumstances.” (23:02, Fulop)

• Post-Election Reflection:
  • Honest about the challenge of being a centrist white male in today’s Democratic primaries.

Becoming CEO of the Partnership for NYC: The Journey (24:42–30:48)

• How He Landed the Job:

  • Describes period after election loss where political relationships fell away; a reconnection with an old contact led to the board opportunity.

  • He leveraged limited connections, presented a fresh vision—emphasizing the Partnership’s need to shed image as merely “the mouthpiece of super wealthy people”.

    “If the partnership is perceived as the mouthpiece of super wealthy people, then it's going to fail to exist in five or ten years.” (30:57, Fulop)

Critique & Rebuilding the Partnership’s Role (30:57–54:01)

What the Partnership Is—and Isn’t—Today

• Hostile Cross-Examination:

  • Tusk argues the Partnership has been “functionally irrelevant” in New York politics; even a hindrance by providing a false sense of engagement by business interests.

    “No one in New York politics believes that the New York City Partnership can in any way shape or form impact their next election. As a result, you're not only functionally irrelevant...” (40:44, Tusk)

• Fulop’s Response & Vision:

  • Acknowledges the challenge; outlines unique assets:

    • A $200 million venture fund that backed successful tech companies like Datadog.

    • A lab program facilitating tech adoption in public agencies.

    • An internal research arm, which Fulop pledges to make less abstract/more timely.

    • Launch of a C4 for overt political advocacy.

      “We are doing now is using it to organize employees...The best person to communicate…is the CEO saying to their employees, 'This is important to me for these reasons.'” (37:14, Fulop)

The Path to Political Relevance

• Central Dilemma:
  • Tusk insists only real ground organizing/coalition-building—like the successful methods of the Working Families Party and DSA—can enable centrists/business interests to compete in low-turnout primaries.

    “If you needed 12,000 votes to win a council seat instead of 5,000 votes, and the partnership were able to drive those other 7,000 people into the thing... they're no longer governed by the needs of an extreme group.” (46:24, Tusk)

• Organizing Employees—Necessary But Not Sufficient:
  • Fulop agrees; intends to organize employees but concedes that's only phase one. He wants to go further, but must build board consensus gradually.
• Candidate Recruitment:
  • Discusses importance of starting at council/local level, building an infrastructure for future support:

    “You gotta start at lower office. You start City council, and you grow to the assembly and you go to the Senate... you have to do it in phases.” (56:30, Fulop)

Obstacles: The Board, Business Culture & Past Weaknesses

• The Board’s Blindspots:
  • Tusk questions whether the board—a group of CEOs without much real political experience—will approve more aggressive, hands-on organizing or tolerate political confrontation.

    “They don't know what they don't know...These are people who have been very successful and impressive in other walks of life...but they don't realize that.” (50:40, Tusk)

• Money Isn’t Everything:
  • Debate on waning value of “big money” in modern politics vs field operations and narrative.

    “I think, especially in politics today, money is less and less important...the ways of winning are far more based on being able to reach people with the right narrative through the right medium...” (53:57, Tusk)

• Fulop’s Confidence in Culture Shift:
  • Asserts board is giving him leeway, but he’s realistic about needing to prove success gradually.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Importance of Being Feared:

  “If they don't fear you, it doesn't really matter. And you need scalps...Make their life a living hell until they finally submit and do it enough times that people realize that they can't just fuck with us. Do you think you will be given the freedom to do that kind of stuff.”
  — Tusk (62:01)

• Fulop on Board’s Appetite for Aggression:

  “At that board meeting, they put $10 million in immediately... They cut commercials that were very, very aggressive... there's a willingness to be aggressive, and they got a taste for it.”
  — Fulop (65:15)

• Fulop on His Approach:

  “My job is to push an agenda and I'm going to be good at it.” (61:01, Fulop)

Immediate Issues and Next Steps (66:01–66:59)

• Budget & Political Strategy:
  • Fulop and the Partnership are about to actively support Governor Hochul on the budget, planning primary-level interventions using the new C4.

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Steve Fulop’s Background: 00:36–09:55
• Early Political Career: 11:27–19:20
• On City vs. State Government: 20:59–24:42
• Becoming Partnership CEO: 24:42–30:57
• Critical Analysis of the Partnership: 30:57–54:01
• Strategies for Political Impact: 54:01–62:01
• Board Fears & Aggressive Tactics: 62:01–65:15
• New Advocacy Efforts & Closing: 66:01–66:59

Conclusion

This episode offers a rare, unvarnished look at the deep structural issues facing business advocacy groups in New York and the broader shift in political power toward activist, left-wing organizing. Fulop is candid, self-aware, and clear-eyed about the challenge: rebuilding a 30-year-dormant business advocacy machine in a climate that rewards ground game, coalition building, and confrontation—not just access and reports. Tusk takes on the role of constructive antagonist, pressing Fulop to articulate both his vision and the uncomfortable realities he faces internally.

For listeners interested in urban politics, organizational change, and the battle for New York’s political center, this episode is essential.

Follow Steve Fulop & the Partnership

• Social Media: Fulop suggests following him directly or @ The Partnership for latest advocacy work.
• Coalition for New York's Future: Sign up via the website for updates on C4 activities.