New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy had no problem winning the Democratic nomination back in June in order to run for a second term. His opponents in the primary posed little or no threat. All the way through the beginning of September, the Governor enjoyed what appeared to be a comfortable lead over his Republican challenger, Jack Ciattarelli. 

But Governor Murphy’s double-digit edge over former State Assemblyman Ciattarelli has been slowly shrinking. Like the falling temperatures that begin to engulf New Jersey at October’s end, polls are showing voter support for Murphy is gradually dipping. In some cases, those numbers are falling below the low teens. 

A Stockton University Poll today had Murphy leading Ciattarelli by only 9 percentage points. Just to put that figure into perspective, the Governor was ahead of Ciattarelli by almost 26 percentage points in May. 

It’s getting chilly in Murphy-land and Democrats have brought in their own big names to heat up the race. Former President Barack Obama made a quick visit to New Jersey. President Joe Biden made his way to the Garden State, as well. On Thursday, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont was scheduled to stump for Murphy at a Rutgers University get-out-the-vote rally. The Obama and Biden visits, though, were low-key and lacked any kind of fanfare. 

In fact, you’ll be hard-pressed to find that obligatory photo of Murphy and Biden standing side-by-side, their fists up together, and their arms raised high. The President came to New Jersey to tout his economic plans that haven’t passed, mainly because of two moderate Senators in his own Democrat party. 

It makes sense for Murphy to remind voters in a mostly blue state that Democrats are pushing these proposals to help rebuild roads and bridges, as well as provide help to struggling families. The Governor’s also wise to kind of distance himself from the President, whose own poll numbers are dropping. What doesn’t quite make sense is why Murphy asked Senator Sanders, who is to the far left of the Democrat party, to visit New Jersey and get out the vote? Middle-of-the-road voters often determine the outcome of statewide elections. With the Governor’s race so close, is showcasing Bernie a wise move? Republicans say Democrats have no other choice because their own base doesn’t appear excited about the race.  

“Why else are they bringing someone like Bernie Sanders?” Asked Keith Davis, the Atlantic County Republican Chair and legal counsel to the Republican State Committee. “Someone who is way out of the mainstream and a self-described Socialist. They can’t motivate their base. Even when they brought President Obama, the attendance was only a few hundred.” 

Democrats say former President Obama’s attendance numbers were much higher. Still, Republicans like Somerset County GOP Chair Tim Howes say Murphy is out of touch with blue collar voters, who are struggling to keep up with skyrocketing property taxes and business closures. 

“I think there are a lot of voters who are concerned for their day-to-day ability to provide for the future of their families,” Howes said. “Governor Murphy doesn’t seem to be plugged into what that really means.” 

Democrats, including Governor Richard Codey, say Murphy’s been the one protecting all New Jersey residents. 

“He played to the left, to the middle and to the far right during the pandemic, and all the polling shows that his job during the pandemic was favored by the people on the left, in the middle and on the right,” said Codey, a staunch supporter of Murphy. 

Governor Codey points out while the race may appear to be close, Murphy’s running in a mostly Democratic state. 

“He’s already got the Obama supporters but you want to make sure they come out and vote,” Codey added.

“They’re here to jazz up an important part of the Democratic base,” said Peter Woolley, the director of the School of Public and Global Affairs at Fairleigh Dickinson University. “There’s a part of the Democratic base that Republicans can’t touch, and that is Black and Latino voters. Trump is toxic to minorities.” 

Political ads linking Ciattarelli to Trump continue to run non-stop on all of the television networks. Anti-Ciattarelli signs can be found throughout Newark neighborhoods. They read, “Stop the Trump Team, Vote Murphy,” and encourage early, in-person voting. 

“If you go into Newark now, on every street corner, red-and-white ‘Stop Trump’ signs are everywhere,” Woolley added. “The Murphy campaign has made a very deliberate and efficient choice to frame the election as a choice between the Trump team and the only alternative to the Trump team.” 

On the other hand, the Ciattarelli camp continues to re-run the same political ad, where Governor Murphy is caught on tape saying, “If taxes are your issue, New Jersey’s probably not your state.” Republicans like Davis also contend the Governor failed to protect nursing home residents from the Coronavirus during the height of the pandemic. 

But the GOP is focusing on inflation fears under the Biden administration and combining that with the never-changing problem of high New Jersey property taxes. 

“We are the highest taxed state in the country,” Davis said,  “Number one out of 50 and it’s not sustainable.” 

Republicans like Howes also say many city and county workers, who traditionally support Democrat candidates in the state, aren’t happy with vaccine mandates. Howes says while most understand the importance of getting vaccinated, they’re looking across the river to Manhattan where city workers won’t have an option of getting tested for COVID-19 if they choose not to get vaccinated. He says they fear if Murphy wins, he’ll push for a more stringent vaccine mandate across the state. 

Murphy hasn’t indicated he’d pull the Coronavirus testing option for state workers, who don’t want to receive the COVID vaccine. However, history isn’t on the Governor’s side. It’s been decades since a Democrat Governor has been re-elected in the Garden State.

“If you look at the historic trends, our state has a trend of electing Republican Governors and that occurs in the year after a Democrat wins the White House,” Davis said, “And, right now, Governor Murphy has the added albatross of Joe Biden hanging around his neck with sagging poll numbers in the state.” 

Democrats say vaccination rates in the state have gone way up. Governor Codey sees that as a sign that New Jersey residents are taking the virus seriously and don’t want to go back to the days of what he calls former President Donald Trump’s downplaying of the virus. 

Politics, it seems, has become a fight between the extremes of each party. Neither side has been  able to come together. Where does that leave the state? Or even the country for that matter? Probably even more divided after these next four years no matter who wins the New Jersey Governor’s race.