There’s been speculation about it for more than a year in Trenton: Would state Senate President Stephen Sweeney try to oust Gov. Phil Murphy, his sometimes rival, in a Democratic primary in 2021?

This week, the chatter bubbled up again when powerful South Jersey power broker George Norcross III, a close Sweeney ally, suggested a Democrat might try to run against Murphy for the party’s nomination when the governor is up for re-election in two years.

Would Sweeney be the guy?

He said Thursday he isn’t thinking about it.

“No one is talking about primaries,” Sweeney, D-Gloucester, told NJ Advance Media. “That’s 2 ½ years from now. I’m focused on getting the budget and marijuana legalized.”

So is he ruling it out?

“No one is running for anything,” Sweeney responded. “There’s no election for governor now. I’m just focused on my job in front of me.”

“Stop," he added. "Stop.”

Norcross made his comments Wednesday in an interview with NJ Advance Media, in which he sharply criticized Murphy as a “liar” who thinks he’s “the King of England.”

Murphy convened a task force to examine whether tax breaks doled out tax breaks to companies during former Gov. Chris Christie’s tenure were misused. Among the businesses being looked at have ties to Norcross, who is aligned with many South Jersey lawmakers in the state Legislature.

Norcross has defended himself, saying those breaks have been helping revive his hometown of Camden.

He also insisted there are plenty people in the Democratic Party who would run against Murphy in a primary.

“I’ve never seen a governor of either party who is so despised by individuals in their own party," Norcross said.

Asked if Sweeney would do so, Norcross said: “I support whatever Steve Sweeney’s decisions as to what he wants to do with his political career — whatever that might be."

Last June, The Star-Ledger’s Tom Moran asked Sweeney if he planned to primary Murphy in 2021.

“I hope he’s governor for the next eight years,” the Senate president said.

Both Murphy and Sweeney were expected to run against each other in the 2017 race to succeed Christie as New Jersey’s governor. But Sweeney never entered the race.

Since then, their relationship has been strained. They hail from different sides of the Democratic party — Murphy is progressive, Sweeney more moderate.

Plus, Murphy declined to publicly side with Sweeney when the New Jersey Education Association, the state’s largest teachers union, tried to oust the Senate president from office.

Sweeney has also fought Murphy’s plans to raise taxes on millionaires to drum up money for the state budget.

The tax break probe has soured their relationship even further, sources say.

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

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