One hundred days into his tenure as New Jersey's governor, Phil Murphy had two main messages Wednesday.

The Democrat claimed he's already helped change the state's "direction" and "attitude" to be more progressive after eight years of his Republican predecessor, Chris Christie.

And Murphy signaled to top state lawmakers in his own party they should end their resistance to his plans to raise some taxes because the hikes are "the right thing to do."

"Today, in New Jersey, something big, something exciting is happening," Murphy said in a speech at Rutgers University in New Brunswick to celebrate his 100-day mark, the first major milepost of his administration.

Murphy -- a former Wall Street executive and U.S. diplomat who had never held elected office before -- started the address by pointing to his feet, saying he was purposely wearing his now-trademark Allbirds sneakers.

"Today, we are 100 days closer to a stronger, fairer New Jersey," Murphy said, repeating his former campaign slogan and his two favorite words. "Today, the Garden State is on the move."

"If there are some who wish to criticize us for moving too fast, well, put on your running shoes and join us," he told the crowd of a few hundred at Trayes Hall, including members of his cabinet, elected officials, union leaders, lobbyists, and other political insiders.

Murphy didn't call Christie out by name. But he noted that he inherited a state "that was not just pointed in the wrong direction but was falling behind."

Then, Murphy championed what he's accomplished already through appointments, executive orders, and bill signings -- the diversity of his cabinet, installing the most sweeping equal pay law in the nation, and making New Jersey he 12th state to institute automatic voter registration when you apply for a driver's license.

"We are not just making up for past inaction and past vetoes," Murphy said. "We are now setting the bar for other states."

Still, his biggest challenges lie ahead. There are only about two months left until Murphy and state lawmakers must enact a new state budget.

And so far, some of his fellow Democrats who control the state Legislature have been leery of signing on to key aspects of Murphy's $37.4 billion budget proposal -- namely, $1.5 billion in tax increases the governor wants to increase funding for education, transportation, public-worker pensions, and more.

That includes a new tax on millionaires, returning the state sales tax to 7 percent from 6.62 percent, and taxing ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft and home-sharing services like Airbnb. Murphy also proposes closing corporate tax loopholes.

State Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester -- the state's top lawmaker -- has called the millionaires tax a "last resort" and said he's "concerned" about the sales tax increase.

Murphy said Wednesday that taxing millionaires is simply "tax fairness" so "the middle class and working families, our college students, our seniors, and our small businesses are no longer left shouldering the majority of the burden."

As for the sales tax, Christie cut a deal with Democrats two years ago to reduce it by a fraction of a percent in exchange for an increase in the state's gas tax. But Murphy said "resetting" it to 7 percent is part of erasing "the costly gimmicks of the past."

"We know the people of New Jersey are with us," Murphy said. "We know they support ensuring that millionaires pay their fair share. And we know they understand that investing in our state will take new revenues."

He said the hikes are "tools" to help "build a stronger and more resilient state."

Gov. Phil Murphy speaks at Rutgers University in New Brunswick on Wednesday, his 100th day in office.

Without the tax increases, the budget would have at least a $1 billion hole that lawmakers would need to fill with significant cuts.

If lawmakers and Murphy don't agree to a budget by June 30, the state could face another government shutdown like the one that happened last year between Christie and Democratic leaders.

Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth Polling Institute, noted that this was another example of Murphy sending lawmakers signals through a public event -- "but the evidence suggests they're not working."

"At some point, he's got to deal with the big-ticket items -- the grunt work that balances your budget," Murray said. "And we're not seeing that yet."

Murray said the "vast majority" of New Jersyeans are not paying attention to Murphy's actions right now.

"There isn't a widespread mandate for what he's doing," Murray said. "Right now, we're in this Christie fatigue mode. ... But that changes on June 30."

Murphy has also faced pushback from Republican and Democratic lawmakers on his plan to legalize marijuana by the end of the year.

He said very little about it Wednesday, except that "we are working toward legalization to end mass incarceration, predominantly of young people of color, that costs us as a society."

Murphy also repeated that as lawmakers consider a number of bills to tighten the state's already tough gun-control laws, he will "sign each and every one of them."

And he reiterated that he will continue to fight the policies of President Donald Trump, a Republican whom he often criticizes.

"This is our moment," Murphy said. "This is our chance to forever change the course of our state for the better."

Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.