TRENTON, N.J., August 16, 2004 (AP) - When America's first openly gay governor returns to work this week, his focus will be on a series of initiatives that he hopes to complete before leaving office this fall.

However, James E. McGreevey's days as a lame duck chief executive could prove difficult. GOP leaders are pushing for his immediate removal, saying it will be impossible for him to be an effective leader, while some Democrats and close aides fear that a federal probe into his relationship with a former aide will expose more politically damaging details.

Some top Democratic officials want McGreevey to leave office so that U.S. Sen. Jon Corzine can seek the governor's office in a special election that would be held in November.

``There's a big push on now to get McGreevey out sooner rather than later,'' a senior administration source said Sunday, speaking on condition of anonymity.

But Corzine is ``absolutely not interested in pushing for a special election,'' said his spokesman, David Wald.

State Sen. Raymond Lesniak, D-Union, one of the governor's closest advisers, said party members should remain confident that McGreevey is not leaving and that he will not damage the party.

``McGreevey's not going anywhere,'' Lesniak said, denouncing Democrats who are calling for him to step aside. ``He's made the right decision for himself, his family and the state of New Jersey. What they're doing is they're picking at his political carcass, and I think it's disgusting.''

McGreevey shocked the world Thursday, first by admitting his homosexuality and an extramarital affair with an unnamed man, then by saying he would resign as governor. He intends to leave office on Nov. 15, when Senate President Richard J. Codey will become acting governor until the term expires in January 2006.

However, if McGreevey were to leave office before Sept. 3, a special election would be held in November to replace him.

Two sources close to McGreevey have identified Golan Cipel as the man with whom the governor, in his resignation speech, acknowledged having an affair. Cipel, though, said in an interview published Sunday in the Israeli daily newspaper Yediot Ahronot that he is straight and that McGreevey repeatedly made unwanted advances.

Cipel met McGreevey in 2000 during a trip to Israel and worked on his 2001 campaign. He became McGreevey's hand-picked homeland security adviser with a $110,000 annual salary but was unable to get federal security clearances because he was not a U.S. citizen. McGreevey eventually moved Cipel out of that job but kept him on the payroll as an adviser.

McGreevey's lawyer triggered the FBI probe earlier this month by claiming that Cipel tried to blackmail the governor, first by demanding a $50 million payment to avoid a sexual harassment lawsuit, then asking for the governor's help in developing a private medical college, according to sources close to McGreevey.

Cipel's attorneys, though, have denied claims that he tried to force a settlement, saying McGreevey's attorney offered money if Cipel did not file a lawsuit.

The FBI plans to investigate every aspect of McGreevey's relationship with that aide, a law enforcement source speaking on condition of anonymity told The Associated Press on Sunday.

Despite the controversy surrounding his resignation, McGreevey's staff believes he remains up to the task of marshaling his agenda before he leaves office. That includes getting construction plans ready for the Stem Cell Research Institute he established and implementing a security plan for the Republican National Convention in nearby New York, which starts at the month's end.

``He is not concentrating on what is next for Jim McGreevey,'' said Kathy Ellis, the governor's communications director. ``He is concentrating on the next 90 days and the initiatives that meant the world to him as governor.''