Nicholas Pugliese

State House Bureau, @nickpugz

Both of New Jersey’s top Democratic elected officials endorsed Phil Murphy, the former U.S. ambassador to Germany and ex-Goldman Sachs executive, for governor on Monday, attempting to add even more momentum to a campaign that has already won the support of the state’s 21 Democratic county chairmen.

“Are we ready to reclaim New Jersey’s future?” shouted U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez at one point during the news conference at Murphy’s campaign headquarters in Newark. “Are we ready to elect Phil Murphy as the next governor?”

U.S. Sen. Cory Booker appeared alongside Menendez, and the pair praised Murphy as a strong leader who could jump-start New Jersey's economy and stand up for progressive causes during a Trump presidency. Murphy, standing nearby, at one point appeared overcome with emotion. The audience included his wife and eldest son, as well as some of the political elite who are trying to clear Murphy a path to victory in the June primaries and the general election five months later.

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“If we have anything to say about it in Newark and Essex County, that’s what’s going to happen,” said Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, speaking before the senators. He gestured toward the Essex County Democratic Committee chairman, LeRoy Jones, sitting in the front row.

Murphy is the early front-runner for the Democratic nomination in a field that includes longtime Assemblyman John Wisniewski and, as of last week, Sen. Ray Lesniak, the second-longest serving member of the Legislature. Despite their government service, both lawmakers are trying to position themselves as outsiders running against the Democratic machine.

But each endorsement Murphy receives makes his opponents’ task that much harder, exacerbated further still by Murphy’s ability to spend. Murphy has pledged to donate $10 million to his own campaign.

“I’ll be the governor who at every turn makes decisions based on what’s best for the next generation in this state, not what’s best for my next election,” Murphy said Monday.

He added: “These particular endorsements mean an enormous amount because you’re then saying, you know, we’ve got a partnership not just to get elected, but far more importantly, to govern.”

But Rick Rosenberg Jr., the campaign manager for Republican Assemblyman and gubernatorial hopeful Jack Ciattarelli, criticized Murphy for seeking the endorsement of Menendez while the senator is facing federal corruption charges.

"What more do you need to know about Phil Murphy's arrogance towards the people of New Jersey than the fact that he would hold a press conference to tout the endorsement of a politician under federal indictment?” Rosenberg said in a statement.

At the event Monday, Booker said that he had not had specific conversations about endorsements with other Democratic candidates and that endorsing Murphy was “not a tough call for me.”

He referred to himself, Menendez and Murphy as a “terrific trio.”

“It is critical for us, especially with a Republican president, that we have a partner in Trenton who every single day works in concert with us so that we make a very strong team who can deliver for this state,” Booker said.

As of Friday, four other Democrats had also filed paperwork to run for governor. They were Jim Johnson, a former U.S. Treasury official from Montclair; Mark Zinna, a Tenafly councilman; Titus Pierce, an Iraq War veteran and banker; and Monica Brinson, a pharmaceutical sales representative from Hasbrouck Heights.

On the Republican side, observers are waiting to see if, or when, Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno will declare her candidacy for governor. Her entry would make her the party’s instant front-runner over the three other candidates who have declared — Ciattarelli, Nutley Commissioner Steve Rogers and Ocean County businessman Joseph Rullo.

Seth Kaper-Dale is running as a Green Party candidate, and Jon Lancelot, a computer technician, as an Independent.

Email: pugliese@northjersey.com