TRENTON, N.J. – Governor Phil Murphy filed for reelection on Thursday with the state Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC), a move which allows the Democrat to formally begin raising money for his 2021 campaign.
The filing indicates that the Governor will once again run with Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver, a former Assemblywoman and speak of the legislature’s lower chamber.
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Thursday’s filing keeps Murphy’s options open as much as anything else; there is still widespread speculation that he hopes to leave Trenton for D.C. if Joe Biden is elected and offers Murphy a cabinet post.
If he stays and actually runs, Republicans will face challenges – including a nearly one million Democrat voter registration advantage – but they won’t lack for material.
Murphy’s first term has been characterized by a hard-left turn in Trenton’s governing priorities including rampant new spending, millions spent on illegal aliens, higher taxes and billions in new borrowing. The state’s unemployment rate was the nation’s 8th highest in August at nearly 11%. Murphy will also need to answer for thousands of nursing home dead due to a policy which prevented nursing homes from screening for COVID-19 admissions; the DOJ is currently in the early stages of an investigation.
