Gov. Phil Murphy just made it a lot easier for U.S. Sen. Cory Booker to run for president in 2020.

The governor signed a bill Thursday that won't force Booker, a fellow Democrat, to choose between a presidential campaign or another run for the Senate. Instead, he'll be able to run for both at the same time.

Murphy gave final approval to legislation aptly nicknamed "Cory Booker's Law." It will will allow Booker, the New Jersey Democrat, to appear on a November ballot both as a candidate for president or vice president, and for U.S. Senate or House.

Current law doesn't prevent anyone from doing so, but the new law "clarifies" that the prohibition on holding more than one state elective office does not apply to running for Congress and the White House simultaneously.

Of course, the new measure doesn't only apply to Booker. Others could take advantage of it.

But with the state's junior senator making trips to first-in-the-nation presidential voting states like Iowa and New Hampshire, it's clear Booker could be the first New Jersey official to run for nationwide office since former Gov. Chris Christie's failed White House bid in 2016.

If he runs for president and doesn't win, it's likely he'll have a U.S. Senate seat to fall back on thanks to New Jersey's Democrat-controlled Legislature and Murphy.

Garden State public officials have not been able to hold more than one elective office since 2008, though those already in office could continue to run for re-election to those posts.

Booker has raised $7.7 million for his 2020 re-election through Sept. 30, more than any other incumbent up for re-election that year, according to an NJ Advance Media analysis of Federal Election Commission filings.

Booker is considered among the top-tier candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020 should he decide to run. President Donald Trump, a Republican, has taken to calling him out by name at his campaign rallies.

NJ Advance Media staff writer Jonathan D. Salant contributed to this report.

Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewArco or Facebook.