GOP's Murphy Says Blunt Debate Moment Can End NJ Drought
By @sharedot · · 6 pages
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GOP Senate candidate Justin Murphy says his 'finish it' debate moment with Cory Booker can end New Jersey's 54-year Republican drought.
The viral moment that stunned Booker
Fox News Digital reports that Justin Murphy, a Navy veteran, attorney and former deputy mayor of Tabernacle, stunned Sen.
Murphy told Fox News Digital he had no speechwriter or teleprompter and "shoots from the hip" to show voters a sincere, authentic candidate, and said he never planned the exchange to explode on social media. Booker's stunned "Wow" reaction, per Fox News, drove the national attention.
Why the moment matters
The stakes are historical: Fox News notes the last Republican to represent New Jersey in the Senate, Clifford Case, was last elected in 1972, meaning the drought stretches back more than half a century.
Murphy, who won the June 2, 2026 GOP primary, told Fox News that an unscripted national-security message may be the "secret sauce" that cuts through voters' immediate concerns, including gas prices he put at $4.20 per gallon in the Philadelphia metro area where he lives.
Per Fox News, Booker's campaign did not respond to a request for comment on the exchange.
The debate at Rider: what each candidate said
The Rider News reports the Oct. 8 debate at Rider University's Bart Luedeke Center, co-hosted with the New Jersey Globe and moderated by Micah Rasmussen and David Wildstein, was the first and only debate in the race.
On affordability, The Rider News reports Booker said President Trump lied and costs have gone up between $4,000 and $5,000 for the average family, while Murphy countered that gas is almost a dollar cheaper than 2022's $5 gallons and that interest rates fell from the 8% he attributed to the Biden era.
On Iran, the paper reports Booker called the conflict an "unconstitutional" quagmire, while Murphy said it was not a war of choice and urged finishing it decisively.
What comes next
Murphy framed the race to Fox News as a change election: Booker has been a senator for 13 years — "longer than Donald Trump," Murphy said — and cannot blame Trump for laws, budgets and tax codes he helped write.
According to Fox News, Murphy is also campaigning on election integrity, telling the outlet that New Jersey has "contaminated rolls" after hundreds of noncitizens were found to have voted, and calling Trenton's immigration enforcement posture "utter insanity."
Whether sincerity and a viral clip can topple a 13-year incumbent and end the state's 54-year drought now rests with New Jersey voters.