NEW JERSEY (WABC) — “It’s Jersey baby!” Governor Phil Murphy talked with Eyewitness News anchor Bill Ritter about his tenure running the state of New Jersey, the incoming governor and his next chapter.
Murphy was a successful businessman who became a successful governor of New Jersey.
In fact, Murphy, right now, is the longest running democratic governor in the country, until he steps down next month.
He’s also the first democratic New Jersey governor in 44 years to win a second term.
He has had successes, and some defeats in his time as governor of the 11th most populated state.
If there’s a most important part to Murphy’s tenure as governor, it will be no surprise to you.
Bill Ritter interviews New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy as he is set to leave office in January.
“Bittersweet for sure. We’re racing like heck. We’ll sprint through the tape on January 20th. We’ve got a lot of balls in the air. There’s a lame duck agenda, but there are a lot of other things outside of legislation that we’re working on,” Murphy said. “And at the same time, you realize that at noon on January 20, it’s over. So, there’s some bittersweet, some poignancy to this time as well. I’m proud of what we’ve done, and again we’ll stay at it right till the last moment.”
For those old enough to remember being glued to TV news starting in March 2020, they will always remember Governor Murphy’s daily appearances about the ongoing efforts to protect residents of New Jersey against the coronavirus pandemic.
He was calm in the middle of so many unknowns, and so many frightening deaths.
He urged caution, because if we weren’t cautious, the ramifications would be horrific.
Meanwhile, the governor says running for president isn’t in his plans, but he’s not ruling it out completely either.
He also had this message for the people of New Jersey:
“This is the most special state in the union,” Murphy said. “It’s a state of character, grit, attitude, steel backbone unlike any place on earth. It has been an incredible honor to be its governor for eight years, it’s a 9.5 million-member strong family with great diversity.”
You can watch Bill Ritter’s entire interview with the governor right here, and all of our ABC7NY platforms.
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