To the many Democratic activists mocked and marginalized during the eight-year reign of Republican Chris Christie, Phil Murphy's election as governor in 2017 represented a dream scenario.

Finally, the Statehouse would be ruled by a triumvirate of Democratic Party power. The progressive activists believed their wish list would now become the state's priorities, including a boost in the minimum wage to $15 an hour. The long-awaited proposal was finally introduced Thursday.

But instead of cheering, the progressive wing of the state Democratic Party greeted the bill with disgust and anger. It was not the manna from Trenton that Murphy endorsed, an across-the-board boost for every bottom rung worker as early as 2021

Instead, the bill proposed by Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, D-Middlesex, and quickly blessed by Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester, slowly ratchets the minimum to $15 by 2024 -- and not for everybody. Seasonal workers, farmhands, teenagers and workers at small businesses won't be eligible for a $15 hourly wage until 2029.

To activists buoyed by the promise of Murphy's progressive vision, Coughlin and Sweeney had caved to the Chamber of Commerce and farmers. Thousands of women, immigrants, minorities and striving millennials would be shut out of the "fairer and stronger" economy that Murphy promised, they argued.

Analilia Mejia, executive director of New Jersey Working Families and a close Murphy ally, said the lawmakers would create a "subclass of wages."

"This proposal is unconscionable,'' she said.

To some grassroots activists, Coughlin's bill was viewed as a reminder that Murphy -- who singled out the minimum wage hike as the "highest priority we got" in his first public appearance after his election -- may not have the political muscle to fulfill a broader progressive agenda. The one-party rule is beginning to look more like a continuation of the Christie era.

"You know when Murphy was elected into office, I remember a lot of people calling this new legislative session the most progressive session that we have seen in a long time,'' said Carlos Rojas, an immigrant-rights activist during a protest outside the Statehouse on Thursday.

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"We are falling short on the minimum wage. We are falling short on the legalization of marijuana. We are falling short on licenses for undocumented immigrants. I think that this first year of Democratic full control ...is leaving much to be desired,'' he said.

In recent months, Murphy sought to assert himself, demanding a year-end passage of the minimum wage bill. He also cast himself as a willing negotiator, but Murphy hasn't met with legislative leaders since early October. His office had no comment on the bill Thursday.

To some extent, Murphy's progressive aims have been the casualty of a bitter, paralyzing rivalry with Sweeney that took root during the 2017 campaign. But the bill also reflects Sweeney and Coughlin's more business-friendly, centrism.

New Jersey may have nearly 1 million more registered Democrats than Republicans and its congressional delegation just flipped to a lopsided 11-1 for Democrats, but to Sweeney and Coughlin, New Jersey is not the left-leaning redoubt that Murphy thinks it has become.

Sweeney and Coughlin made their feelings known in June when they rejected Murphy's plan to raise taxes on the wealthy. They are making it known with their go-slow approach to marijuana legalization. And Sweeney has vowed another round of benefit givebacks for public workers, a move that may only further inflame Murphy's supporters among labor.

The two leaders also have the votes in the Legislature to carry out their moderate agenda. Murphy doesn't have the votes to stop them.

It's worth noting that Sweeney never mentioned the governor Thursday when he endorsed Coughlin's "progressive" minimum wage bill.

"The speaker’s legislation gives us a working document that will move our efforts to enact a needed wage increase forward,''Sweeney said.

For now, legislators plan to move forward -- and on their own schedule.