What does New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy do all day? A look behind the scenes

Gov. Phil Murphy has already been working for hours on a rainy Tuesday morning in September before he sits down for a quick television segment with "Good Morning America" alongside his wife, first lady Tammy Murphy.

New Jersey's senior senator, Bob Menendez, was indicted just five days ago. The Department of Justice recently called the pandemic response in the state’s veterans homes “multilevel leadership failure.” And, closer to home, rumors are swirling about a political career for the first lady.

Those circumstances converge on a standard Tuesday for Murphy, now approaching lame-duck status after being elected first in 2017 and again in 2021. As he faces the final two years of his second term, Murphy could lose the benefits of Democratic control of the New Jersey Legislature — all 120 seats are on the ballot Nov. 7. But he is moving forward — despite distractions like the looming election, crises like those at the veterans homes and the explosion that has been Menendez's federal indictment in an alleged bribery scheme.

Navigating all of that, what does Murphy hope to accomplish?

“More of the same,” he said while sitting in his office after a morning of nonstop meetings with advisers and a TV appearance.

“We are who we said we would be. So, more of the same: More growth, more equity, more responsibility, fiscal especially,” Murphy said. “That’s the reality. We're on a journey.”

What does a typical day for Phil Murphy look like?

A typical day for the second-term governor includes wall-to-wall meetings, public appearances and a lot of time on the move. Murphy spends hours a day on the go, commuting at least an hour from his Monmouth County home to his Trenton office, as well as traversing the state for events. NorthJersey.com and the USA TODAY Network New Jersey spent Tuesday, Sept. 26, with Murphy and his staff to experience a day in the governor's work as New Jersey's chief executive.

Referring to his car as “basically a moving desk,” Murphy is still working even while being shuttled from here to there across the Garden State. His staff says he uses the time to email — a lot — and Murphy admits that he has a “big setup in the truck” that he uses to mark up speeches, read memos and review policy updates.

In Trenton, his meetings can focus on anything, but the governor said he is looking for ways to make the government work for residents. He’s engaged in a grant process to assist minority- and women-owned businesses and is invested in making sure New Jersey has a seat at the table when it comes to artificial intelligence and the impact it will have on the state and global economies moving forward.

Murphy's office, in the newly restored Statehouse, includes a desk and a more informal seating area, and the governor is quick to point out the "glamorous" room off to the side where he usually takes his lunch — a glorified closet with barely enough space for a table and two chairs.

When in town, wife Tammy will join him for a quick meal, though the curtains tend to stay closed, as construction continues outside his window.

Family remains a top priority

But while he’s engrossed in the business of the state, Murphy is also still a father. And that comes with different responsibilities. During a meeting with staffers from the Economic Development Authority, Murphy took a moment to give one of his kids wardrobe advice via text.

The kids, Murphy said, are what drew the Massachusetts native and his Virginia-born wife to the Garden State.

“We fell in love with New Jersey, and the explicit reason was to raise our kids here,” he said. “When you have four kids, it's not always a straight line. Trust me, but it has been overwhelmingly the best decision of our lives.”

The governor, 66, and his wife, 58, have been married for more than 30 years, and their kids — three sons and a daughter — range in age from 20 to 26.

Beyond just being a great place to raise a family, Murphy said, he has grown to truly appreciate the character and courage that are uniquely New Jersey.

“We have a unique ability, willingness and history of ‘walking in the other guy's shoes.’ I think New Jersey does that better than any other American state, and I love that,” he said. “This is the job of a lifetime. The job itself is a huge responsibility, but enormous gratification and satisfaction when you get stuff right.”

Liquor license reform, economic stability, public safety and climate

Getting stuff right sometimes requires working with the other lawmakers in Trenton, and Murphy has some ideas about what he would like to see happen during the Legislature’s lame-duck session.

He noted that there will be a few appointments that need to be approved, but the “big one” is liquor license reform.

“That's one I'd like to hit if we could and nail. It won’t be easy,” Murphy said.

The governor has been seen as at odds with the Legislature on how to implement reform and opted not to sign a bill that would allow breweries further opportunities to host events and participate in off-site events in favor of more "comprehensive" reform. That means expanded access to licenses by doing away with the population restrictions and lowering the cost.

Even with a new Legislature in place, Murphy said, he wants to continue "strengthening our fiscal house, growing the economy and shrinking inequities.”

The governor plans to keep working to improve public safety, because although there isn’t a specific threat, safety is a “perennial worry that will stay with me till literally the moment I hang up my cleats.”

Murphy has also had to add Mother Nature to the worry list more frequently than he did at the start of his term and definitely more often than previous administrations.

During his term, Murphy has had to deal with more frequent serious weather, including Hurricane Ida, as well as flash flooding as recently as last month.

The job isn’t all danger and disaster, though. Murphy is quick to point out all of the work being done in terms of economic development in places like Camden, Trenton and Newark that is “not just growing the economy but making that growth more equitable.”

Day's end at Drumthwacket

The day doesn’t end when Murphy leaves the Statehouse, though. After a late afternoon stop in Camden to talk about the progress and investments being made in that city, it’s off to Drumthwacket, the official residence of the governor in Princeton.

The first lady rejoins him there for an event celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. The Murphys host about a dozen of these sorts of parties each year.

After remarks from his wife, Murphy gives his final speech of the day, but not before acknowledging the rumors about her Senate bid.

“Today you’re getting more press than I am,” he joked.

Then it’s back on the road, getting set up for the next day. Once he’s home, there’s dinner with two of the four Murphy kids.

'We're far from through'

Murphy is aware that his time in office is limited, though. After that family dinner, he’ll be actively negotiating for the 2026 FIFA World Cup final to take place at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford. The event starts six months after he vacates the Statehouse.

And other projects, like the HELIX at Rutgers, something he has touted numerous times, won’t wrap until well after his administration draws to a close. Murphy first announced plans for an innovation hub in New Brunswick in 2018. He has said previously that he hopes it will "bring the state’s corporate, innovation, and higher education communities together and provide the dual benefit of spurring the growth of startups and attracting global companies."

When told there could be a ceremonial opening in New Brunswick at the end of his term, Murphy joked that people might notice if you can’t walk inside the building yet.

“I don't want to seem like I’m tearing my rotator cuff patting myself on the back, because we still have a lot of work to do,” Murphy said. “We're far from through our work.”

Katie Sobko covers the New Jersey Statehouse. Email: sobko@northjersey.com

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ Gov. Phil Murphy: What does he do all day?