Gov. Murphy For President? Signs Point To Potential Future Run

NEW JERSEY — Gov. Phil Murphy cannot run in New Jersey's next gubernatorial election. But a $2 million ad blitz touting his agenda prompted outside speculation that Murphy may run for president.

Stronger Fairer Forward — a nonprofit advocacy group that doesn't have to release its donors — launched an advertising campaign centering Murphy that will run through the end of July. The campaign includes promotions on TV, digital platforms and billboards.

In the ads released, Murphy says the "American Dream" worked for him. The governor grew up in a family that lived "paycheck to paycheck" before a career as a Wall Street executive.

"I worked hard and the American dream worked for me," Murphy said in one ad. "But today that dream feels distant, so we got to work. ... We’re rebuilding the American Dream in New Jersey."

Murphy's allies founded Stronger Fairer Forward earlier this year. First Lady Tammy Murphy is the chairperson, while Daniel Bryan — the governor's former spokesperson and senior adviser — serves as executive director.

The governor has denied that he would run for president in 2024.

"I’m not running," he told NJ Advance Media at his January inauguration. "I’m not running. Jesus, lord, help me."

But Murphy allies launched the political nonprofit in February, along with a super PAC that says it will back candidates who support "efforts on protecting and reinforcing our democracy from the ongoing nationwide assault on election officials and state election laws." These moves, combined with the ad campaign, often signal interest in running for higher office.

President Joe Biden has made clear that he plans to run for re-election. But his age (79) and low approval ratings have Democrats privately raising concerns, according to Politico. Murphy is among several Democratic governors taking actions that would position themselves for a presidential bid in 2024 or 2028.

"For governors, especially those up in 2022, you’re building an operation for now, but you could also use it again in 2024 or 2028," Corey Platt, former political director of the Democratic Governors Association, told Politico. "And for those who can win in 2022, they’ve got a really good story to tell that keeps them separate from the national Democratic brand"

Murphy's re-election results and approval ratings may not inspire much confidence. The incumbent defeated Republican nominee Jack Ciattarelli by 3.2 percentage points. Murphy held an approval rating of 55 percent in a Monmouth University poll released in April. But that marked a sharp fall from the 70 percent approval rating he held in May 2020, toward the beginning of the pandemic. And in the April poll, only 33 percent of respondents believed Murphy was presidential material.

Compare that to former Gov. Chris Christie's presidential aspirations. The former governor won a second term in 2013 with 60.3 percent of votes to Democratic nominee Barbara Buono's 38.2 percent.

During Christie's second term, he squandered his previous popularity down to a 15 percent approval rating in June 2017, according to a Quinnipiac University poll that marked the lowest approval rating for any governor in state history. Christie spent considerable time in Iowa in 2014, laying the groundwork for a presidential run. But he dropped out of the race in February 2016, endorsing future President Donald Trump.

One thing is certain: Murphy cannot run in the 2025 gubernatorial election. New Jersey governors may serve any number of terms but can't hold the office for more than two terms in a row.