New Jersey Dem Gov Phil Murphy’s Feud With His Own Party Grows Worse

Democrat Governor Phil Murphy is attracting growing criticism from members of his own party as his failing leadership continues to take New Jersey backwards.

A new Star-Ledger column highlights how Murphy’s calls for tax hikes have alienated even fellow Democrats, with State Senate President Stephen Sweeney accusing Murphy of pushing extreme tax increases in an attempt to “check a box” to ascend within the national Democratic Party. Citing Murphy’s past as a Goldman Sachs executive, Sweeney criticized the governor’s failure to understand New Jersey’s dire fiscal situation, asking “how can someone with his experience not recognize we’re in a financial death spiral?”

For weeks, Murphy has been embroiled in an “open civil war” with Sweeney and other top New Jersey Democrats, who have called Murphy a “liar,” while criticizing him for turning a state agency into a “patronage pit” to hire wealthy insiders for plum taxpayer-funded positions.

“When Phil Murphy isn’t trying to tax the rain or force hardworking New Jerseyans to pay for his big government agenda, he’s busy feuding with members of his own party,” said RGA Communications Director Amelia Chassé Alcivar. “People are sick and tired of partisan sniping that gets nothing done – New Jersey families deserve better.”