Middletown's Phil Murphy Running For Governor

Middletown, NJ - Phil Murphy, a former Goldman Sachs executive and U.S. ambassador to Germany who now lives in Middletown, announced Monday he's running for New Jersey governor as a Democrat.

There has been speculation for more than a year that Murphy would run, but Monday's announcement was the first official start to his campaign.

"I'm taking the unusual step of announcing my candidacy for governor a year ahead of the election because New Jersey's challenges can't wait," Murphy said in his announcement video.

The New Jersey governor's election is November 7, 2017. The Democratic and Republican primary election, however, is earlier, in June of 2017.

"Growing up, our family lived paycheck to paycheck. I put myself through college and grad school," he said. "Then I built a successful career learning how economies grow and create jobs."

Murphy's father did not graduate from high school and his mom was a secretary. He graduated from Harvard and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Murphy criticized Gov. Chris Christie for no longer doing town hall meetings and said he will line them up throughout the state soon. He has already had four town halls in Essex and Bergen counties.

“It’s a format I love personally,’’ Murphy told the Asbury Park Press. “You’re up on a wire and you have no net under you. You can screw up. I screw up all the time but people actually like the authenticity.’’

Murphy has never held elected office. Like Jon Corzine before him, he became very wealthy working on Wall Street, where he led Goldman's German, Austrian and Swiss operations and later served as president of its Asian branch before retiring in 2006. He and his wife, Tammy, became major Democratic donors and in 2009, he was appointed by President Obama to be the U.S. ambassador to Germany. He held that post until May of 2013, at which point he settled in Middletown.

Other contenders for New Jersey governor, according to the Asbury Park Press: Democratic ticket: NJ Senate President Stephen Sweeney, Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, Assemblyman John Wisniewski and State Sen. Ray Lesniak. Reports that Lesniak has already declared are false. The longtime Union County Democrat (he's been serving in the New Jersey State Senate since 1983), has said he will not seek re-election to the Senate and, if he has sufficient support for governor, will run.

Republican ticket: Lieutenant Gov. Kim Guadagno and Assembly members Jon Bramnick and Jack Ciattarelli.