Phil Murphy
Updated: Wikipedia source
Philip Dunton Murphy (born August 16, 1957) is an American politician, financier, and former diplomat serving since 2018 as the 56th governor of New Jersey. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected governor in 2017 and narrowly reelected in 2021. From 2009 to 2013, Murphy was the U.S. ambassador to Germany. Born and raised in Massachusetts, Murphy has degrees from Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School. He had a 23-year career at Goldman Sachs, where he held several high-level positions and accumulated considerable wealth before retiring in 2006. He then became active in politics. He was finance chairman for the Democratic National Committee in the mid-late 2000s under Howard Dean. While planning to run for governor of New Jersey, Murphy and his wife Tammy Murphy launched New Start New Jersey, a progressive organization. He defeated Republican, then-Lieutenant Governor Kim Guadagno, in the 2017 gubernatorial election with 56% of the vote. Murphy was reelected in an unexpectedly close race with 51.2% of the vote. He is the first Democratic governor of New Jersey to win a second term since Brendan Byrne in 1977. During Murphy's first term as governor, he signed legislation to legalize cannabis and sports betting and enact automatic voter registration. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he implemented various health measures. During Murphy's second term, his wife Tammy unsuccessfully sought to fill the Senate seat vacated by Bob Menendez. Murphy worked with the Donald Trump administration to block New York from implementing a congestion pricing plan in the most polluted and congested parts of Manhattan.