Gov. Phil Murphy has the next two years to enjoy the fallout from one of the great self-owns in recent New Jersey political history. He unilaterally pushed the Democratic party bosses all in on his wife’s Senate run and, in a massive understatement, it did not go well.
Tammy Murphy has dropped out of the race, the governor has spent whatever political capital he had left and the cherished county line is on the chopping block. That’s gonna leave a mark.
Any governor fortunate enough to enjoy a second term inevitably experiences a lame-duck period when the party adjusts to the reality that the sitting governor’s limited time left in office takes away some of the juice inherent in the job. Because of Murphy’s own goal, he’s likely made his lame-duck period the entire last half of his second term. That’s quite an accomplishment.
The party bosses had a good thing going and Murphy put it all at risk. The county line gave county Democrats control of the ballot and now like Samson, they may be in for a haircut. The legality of the county line is in court and the judge weighing its fate sounded awful skeptical during the hearings.
If the party loses the power to control the ballot it’s going to be tough for the governor to get his calls answered. Don’t get me wrong, they’ll still pick up, but Murphy’s agenda items are going to have a hell of a time reaching the top of the pile.
I’m making it sound so negative, and while it certainly is for Murphy, it may be a boon to the state. Anything that loosens the grip of the machines on the state’s politics is a step forward. The failed Murphy campaign has exposed the general public to just how the sausage is made and it’s just as gross as we all thought it was.
Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow us on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and on Facebook at NJ.com Opinion. Get the latest news updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.com’s newsletters.