arrow Governor Murphy and a constituent NJ Governor s Office
The last time a Democratic governor ran for re-election in New Jersey, it didn’t go so well.
In 2009, the U.S. was in a devastating recession, and Governor Jon Corzine had spent much of his first term fighting with Democrats in the state legislature. He went on to lose a close race to the Republican candidate, former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie.
This year, Governor Phil Murphy is seeking re-election under circumstances that sound strikingly similar, except for one obvious difference.
“I think the pandemic really defined him and gave him a chance to show leadership skills in a way that people hadn t seen prior to that,” said Mike DuHaime of Mercury Public Affairs, a top Republican strategist in New Jersey who crafted Christie’s two successful campaigns.