PHIL MURPHY (D-NJ) GOVERNOR OF NEW JERSEY Life in Brief Quick Summary Born: August 16, 1957 Harvard-educated investment banker deeply rooted in Democratic Party politics. Advanced Hometown: Needham, MA progressive causes with nonprofits after stints with the DNC and as Ambassador to Germany Current Residence: Monmouth County, NJ • Underwrote deals for German and Chinese telecom giants as part of 23-year international Education: tenure at Goldman Sachs • MBA, University of Pennsylvania Wharton • Chaired task forces on national public School of Business, 1983 education and the 2005 New Jersey pension • BA, Harvard University, 1979 crisis which springboarded him into NJ politics • Leveraged finance industry connections to raise Family: $300 million as the DNC’s finance chair • Wife: Tammy (Snyder) • Shrewd navigator of Germany’s political scene • Four children well-known within Atlanticist circles; embraced their dual apprenticeship education and Work History: infrastructure bank models • Governor of New Jersey, 2018-present • Spearheaded nonprofit initiatives in public • Founder, New Way New Jersey, 2015-2016 health and economic development partnerships • Founder, New Start New Jersey, 2014-2015 • Ambitious governor who has made aggressive • US Ambassador to Germany, 2009-2013 moves to remake state’s tax programs and • National Finance Chair, Democratic National defied the Trump Administration on immigration Committee, 2006-2009 • Director, private philanthropy, 2003-2006 Approach and Motivations • Senior Director, Goldman Sachs, 1999-2003 Charismatic and results-oriented organizer • President of Goldman Sachs Asia, 1997-1999 whose paycheck-to-paycheck childhood • Head of Goldman Sachs Frankfurt, 1993-1997 motivated him to fight for economic justice • Banker, Goldman Sachs, 1983-1993 • Forged views while observing his father work numerous odd jobs; Murphy ran a nonprofit to Past and Present Board and Advisory Roles help displaced workers find jobs and advocates • Chair, Democratic Governors Association for raising minimum wage and paid sick leave • Former board member, NAACP • Surrendered his dream of going into musical • Former Chairman, 180 Turney Lives Around theater for investment banking while putting • Former Trustee, Center for American Progress himself through college • Former Chair, New Jersey Benefits Task Force • President of a Harvard theater club who nd • Co-founder, 2 Floor leverages his theater roots in politics • Co-owner, Sky Blue (women’s soccer) • Talented speaker who attributes his success at Goldman to being a calm and abled mediator Electoral Overview • Walked the red carpet at film festivals and • Defeated the outgoing Lt. Governor Kim featured on mags as a diplomat in Germany Guadagno 56%-42%, driven by the • Raised his profile in NJ with a massive media unpopularity of previous governor Chris Christie campaign pushing a progressive narrative PEOPLE RESEARCH SERVICE 1 PHIL MURPHY (D-NJ) Governor of New Jersey Policy Positions and Areas of Focus Core Communities Focused on a diverse range of issues Communities deeply connected to his work Economics: Pro-growth progressive; promotes National Democrats: Well connected to smarter tax incentives and raising taxes influential party brass • Ordered an audit of NJ corporate tax incentive • Helped Howard Dean use the “Fifty State programs in first three days, revealing an Strategy” to rebuild the Democratic Party’s inefficient system paying $160k per job created grassroots efforts at the DNC from 2006-2009 • Calls for fairer, strategic incentives that invest in • Fundraised for Clinton-Gore campaigns as well people and communities; overhauled old credit Clinton’s 2016 bid, worked with John Podesta programs for ones that focus on urban centers, • Co-chaired an education task force with Janet apprenticeships, and underused resources Napolitano at Center for American Progress • Strongly pushes for a millionaire’s tax to pay for infrastructure and education priorities; sought to New Jersey Democrats: A relative newcomer raise the sales tax and new taxes on rideshare who continues to build his network • Seeks to create a state bank similar to North • Started progressive policy nonprofits that ran Dakota’s; created implementation board in 2019 events with activist and singer Jon Bon Jovi • Rickety rapport with State Senate leader Steve Education: Dramatically increases state funding Sweeney and Assemblyman Craig Coughlin; • Half of his $41B 2020 budget earmarked for education dispute nearly shut down government education; boosted funding for pre-K and K-12 • Wrangles with wealthy politico George Norcross education, expanded high school computer • Worked with former Governor Jon Corzine at science programs, aided college affordability Goldman Sachs • Will fully fund the school aid formula by 2025 • Wants to eliminate standardized testing Goldman Sachs: Ties to influential executives • Worked closely with former Treasury Health: Prioritizes ACA and religious exemption Secretaries Robert Rubin and Hank Paulson, • Supports protecting key areas of ACA in NJ and Gary Cohn, and Peter Rose nixing the religious exemption for sexual health • Wife is a former Goldman colleague who ran • Pursues removing religious exemptions for civic orgs with and campaign’s finances for him childhood vaccines; supports law disallowing unvaccinated kids to attend public school Germany: Robust relationship with the country since first working there in the 1990s Civil Rights: Advocate for justice and welfare • Helped conduct the privatization of former • Resumed NJ oversight of refugee resettlement state-owned East-German assets, which landed • Created NJ office to advance integration of him membership to Atlantik-Brück; co-founded refugees and immigrants into state initiatives the nonprofit’s International Advisory Council • Limited the ability of state and local law • Ascended to celebrity status as Ambassador; enforcement to assist federal immigration close to German Marshall Fund President officials; sued by Justice Dept in 2020 Karen Donfried, frequented social events and • Champions women’s and LGBTQ rights; signed used soccer to relate to politicians the equal pay act in 2018 and outlawed the gay • Opened a Choose NJ office in Berlin to foster and trans panic defense for criminal homicide ties between Germany and the state in 2018 PEOPLE RESEARCH SERVICE 2 PHIL MURPHY (D-NJ) Governor of New Jersey Relevant Financial Information Publications, Media, and Speaking Intricate financial connections to Democrats Strong and comfortable speaker since his theater days Biggest Industry Donors (Career) • Lawyers & Lobbyists, $565,881 Publications: Few outside of campaigning • Real Estate, $349,150 • Preferred Outlets: NYT, local NJ papers like the • General Trade Unions, $323,800 Bergen County Record, Dallas News, • Health Professionals, $205,933 • Favorite Subjects: Gun control, COVID-19, • Security & Investment, $182,315 Greg Abbott, anti-Semitism, taxes • Public Sector Unions, $113,600 Media: Frequent appearances balanced across Biggest Corporate Donors (Career) national, local, and online outlets. Hosts Ask • AT&T (Dallas, TX), $8,600 Murphy, a call-in show for constituents • NJ Apartment Association, $8,600 • Preferred Outlets: National cable news like • NJ Shipping Association, $8,600 MSNBC and CNN; local news like the Star- • Airbnb, (San Francisco, CA), $8,600 Ledger and NJ.com, Sunday Talk Shows like • Fedway Associates, Inc (Basking Ridge, NJ), Face the Nation and This Week; online video $8,033 platforms like Now This • Favorite Subjects: Taxes, gun control, climate Biggest Individual Donors (Career) change, religious exemptions, jobs, economic • Alan & Susan Solomont, Attorneys, $8,600 security infrastructure, the ultra-wealthy • Evan Karzhevsky, who, $9,500 • Social Media Habits: Active on twitter and posts • Laurene Jobs, Emerson Collective, $8,600 some videos to Facebook • Henry van Ameringen, H. van Ameringen Foundation, $8,600 Speaking: Passionately discusses progressive • Jonathan Tisch, billionaire and former Loews issues, personal plans, and political theory CEO, $8,600 everywhere from rallies to academic panels • Favorite Subjects: Climate change, budgets, Political Donations: Gave nearly $1.5 million to economics, pensions, civil rights, Cory Booker, Democratic candidates by 2009 Germany-American relations, COVID-19 • Democratic Senatorial Committee, $400,250 • Preferred Audience: Academics at colleges and • Democratic National Committee, $389,900 other institutions like the Hertie School and the • Hillary Clinton (D), 1999-2008, $14,800 Princeton Adlinger Center; conferences like • Barack Obama (D), 2008, $4,600 TedX; DNC events; the public at venues like • Al Franken (D), 2008, $4,600 the Liberty Science Center; business groups like local chambers of commerce Miscellaneous: • Net worth estimated to be between $60 million Congressional Testimony: One appearance • Testified before The House Committee on and $100 million due to he and his wife’s long Transportation about funding for the Gateway tenure at Goldman Sachs Project to rebuild a tunnel linking NY and NJ • Made $2.2 million in 2018 while governor damaged by Superstorm Sandy, May, 2019 • A Super PAC that raised him $6.8m released its donor list after staying secret for two years; $4.5m from NJ Education Association PEOPLE RESEARCH SERVICE 3 PHIL MURPHY (D-NJ) Governor of New Jersey Family and Personal Background Criticisms and Controversies Early life Controversies involving Ambassadorship and • Grew up around Boston