PhotoNEWARK — Philip D. Murphy, a former Goldman Sachs executive, cruised to the Democratic nomination for New Jersey governor on Tuesday, while Kim Guadagno, the state’s lieutenant governor, fought off a spirited challenge to claim the Republican nomination, setting the stage for a November battle to replace Chris Christie, the state’s deeply unpopular incumbent. For Mr. Murphy, who was President Barack Obama’s ambassador to Germany, the primary victory caps a yearslong effort to lay the groundwork for a run in which he invested more than $16 million of his own funds and vastly outspent his rivals. It puts his unique brand of progressive policies and fiscal reform at the center of a state facing a potential crisis over unfunded pensions and underfunded schools, combined with the highest property taxes in the country, and quickly vaults him into the national dialogue as an early Democratic response to Mr. Trump’s policies. For Ms. Guadagno, the general election will be a gauge of how a moderate Republican, who hasn’t quite embraced the language or policies emanating from Washington, can navigate the shifting political waters and chart a conservative course that is somewhat separate from the White House. Advertisement Continue reading the main storyThe fall election, which is one of the two statewide elections in the country this year (the other is in Virginia), will be closely watched by Democrats around the country eager for a political victory after the losses sustained in the 2016 election and in special congressional elections this year.

Source: New York Times June 07, 2017 01:07 UTC