Gov. Phil Murphy is hoping to shake off a curse that has gripped the Democratic Party for more than 40 years. As the general election begins in earnest Wednesday, odds are in Murphy's favor to become the first Democrat to win a second term as governor since Brendan T. Byrne in 1977. This is Murphy's race to lose. He begins with a 26-point lead in the first head-to-head poll and with a sizable 2-to-1 advantage in Democratic Party registration. And he emerged from relative anonymity in 2017 to become a generally well-regard crisis commander of the COVID-19 pandemic — with notable caveats. The governor's job approval rating — in the stratosphere at the height of the pandemic — has come back down to earth over the past month. Still, it remains strong. And, of course, he has the distinct advantage of not being a member of a party that remains mesmerized by Trump, who is broadly unpopular in New Jersey.