State & Local Government Policy, Business and Technology

Incoming N.J. governor plans a swing to the left - and a model for the country

The Washington Post: TRENTON, N.J. — Days before his inauguration as New Jersey’s 56th governor, Phil Murphy had Hollywood on his mind. The 60-year old Democrat had just read a headline about reshoots on “All the Money in the World,” which had been done in a hurry to remove disgraced actor Kevin Spacey from the movie.

“They paid Michelle Williams $1,000 and Mark Wahlberg $1 million for the same work,” Murphy said in an interview. “That’s just outrageous. Equal pay is one thing we want to get to early. We want to say to everyone: New Jersey’s a place where gender does not play a role in how much you get paid.”

Murphy, a former Goldman Sachs financier and ambassador to Germany, had a relatively smooth path to the governor’s office. Outgoing Gov. Chris Christie (R) was deeply unpopular and New Jersey’s Democratic establishment rallied around Murphy, who spent $20 million of his own money to win the June primary. In November, while Virginia’s statewide races became a referendum on President Trump’s administration, Murphy’s 14-point victory was a national afterthought.

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