Phil Murphy Is Elected Governor of New Jersey - The New York Times

"ASBURY PARK, N.J. — New Jersey became the seventh state in the country where Democrats now control the legislative and executive branches with the election on Tuesday of Philip D. Murphy, a former Wall Street banker with no experience in office, as its 56th governor, according to The Associated Press.



The victory by Mr. Murphy, who transformed himself from a Goldman Sachs executive into a progressive Democrat to match the direction of an anxious political party, gives Democrats a badly needed lift and a governor who has vowed to make his state a bulwark against the policies of President Trump.



Mr. Murphy’s ascendancy also brings an emphatic end to the tumultuous eight-year reign of Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican who was once considered a viable contender for the White House but who leaves office as one of the country’s least popular governors.



Still, despite Mr. Murphy’s skillful campaign and ambitious agenda, it remains to be seen whether he can deliver on his many promises.



Mr. Murphy, 60, defeated Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, the Republican candidate and Mr. Christie’s second-in-command, after a contentious election that never really was in doubt — Ms. Guadagno had struggled to move out of the shadow of her deeply disliked boss.



Mr. Murphy, who promoted a liberal future for New Jersey with a $15 minimum wage, the legalization of marijuana and a vow to stand up to the policies of Mr. Trump, represents a shift in the state’s reputation for electing moderate governors.



With a victory propelled by the working class and urban neighborhoods of northern New Jersey, Mr. Murphy’s election also amounts to a repudiation of the hard-nosed, blunt conservative politics of Mr. Christie, whose tell-it-like-it-is personality often defined New Jersey on the national stage.



In Mr. Murphy, voters selected Mr. Christie’s opposite — an energetic politician who yearns to be liked, embraces unions, loathes the president, supports gun control and has been open about his willingness to raise taxes on the wealthy to help fix the state’s floundering economy..."



Phil Murphy Is Elected Governor of New Jersey - The New York Times