Austin Bogues

@AustinBogues

New Jersey governor hopeful Phil Murphy told LGBT leaders in Asbury Park Thursday that having a Democrat in office would help defend gains made by the community.

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While speaking at the headquarters of Garden State Equality, the state's largest LGBT advocacy and education organization, Murphy said that President Donald Trump's election had been "worse than our expectation" and vowed to fight the administration on a number of fronts, including healthcare and immigration policy.

Murphy, 59, of Middletown, is widely considered to be the frontrunner in the fight for the Democratic nomination. He's secured endorsements from all 21 Democratic county organizations.

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At the forum Thursday, he railed against the prospect of having Medicaid subject to block grants and said he would seek to build upon the system in place with the Affordable Care Act, sometimes referred to as Obamacare. The video above shows the discussion.

He credited grassroots organizations and public clamor for helping to shut down the GOP health care bill touted as an Obamacare replacement in Congress last month. "With all due respect to health care policy, it was taking money from most of this country and giving it to very few," Murphy said.

He said Medicaid provided vital services to many in the LGBT community, including those living with HIV/AIDS.

He said he would make diversity in his administration a priority if elected. "We will put on the field a team that is at least as diverse as the state that we are serving, that’s the standard we want people to hold us to," Murphy said.

Garden State Equality was a leading player in New Jersey in the fight for marriage equality for same-sex couples.

Christian Fuscarino, the group's executive director, has said in the aftermath of the marriage fight the group's focus is on issues affecting youth, transgender people and seniors.

"The laws that have been put in place over the course of the years still need to be bolstered," said Red Bank Councilman Edward Zipprich, who attended the forum. "Especially when it comes to transgender issues."

Murphy has said he favors letting transgender people use bathrooms that correspond with their gender identification and also supports letting people change their birth certificates to match their gender identity.

He also spent a portion of the roundtable discussion addressing transportation needs, calling for increased state funding for transit services.

Austin Bogues 732-643-4009; abogues@gannettnj.com

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