A New Jersey attorney and former municipal official challenging Sen. Cory Booker says his unscripted debate style and a viral moment on national security could help Republicans end a Senate drought in the state that stretches back more than half a century. Justin Murphy, a Navy veteran and former deputy mayor of Tabernacle in the Pine Barrens, told Fox News Digital that his blunt answer on Iran strategy during a recent debate with Booker has resonated far beyond his campaign's expectations.
Murphy said he has no speechwriter and no teleprompter, describing his approach as shooting from the hip so voters can see «a very sincere, genuine and authentic Justin Murphy.» He said the response, in which he said President Donald Trump should forcefully «finish it» when asked about Iran War strategy, was not planned to spark a reaction. «It wasn't planned to try to spark the reaction that we got… through social media,» he said, adding that he meant what he said.
The last Republican to represent New Jersey in the Senate was Clifford Case, who was last elected in 1972. Murphy, who is 60, said he was in first grade in the Philadelphia suburb of Collingdale, Pennsylvania, the last time the state elected a Republican senator. He argued that Booker, who has served 13 years in the Senate, has been in Washington longer than Trump and should not be able to blame the president for the state's problems. «He's part of the branch of government that passes our country's laws and writes our tax codes and passes our budgets,» Murphy said, asking what Booker is willing to take responsibility for.
Murphy framed his candidacy around three themes: a new generation of Americans serving in Washington, a new day in New Jersey politics, and a voice for the working and middle class in the Senate. He said his campaign represents all three. On the Iran conflict, he argued that voters concerned about energy prices should focus on long-term national and energy security, including domestic production and refining capacity to reduce exposure to global oil markets. He said gasoline in his area was $4.20 per gallon as of Wednesday, and he compared that with prices under President Joe Biden, citing what he described as over $5 a gallon, a 9% interest rate, 20% cumulative inflation, an open border, rising crime and declining wages.
Murphy also pointed to legislation introduced shortly before the interview by Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Ill., to dismantle the Department of Homeland Security, calling it «madness and insanity» and saying it is not the tomorrow Americans want or can build together. On election security, he said integrity is «extremely and critically important» and that New Jersey has «contaminated rolls.» He stressed that he does not want an election system that benefits Republicans, but one that is fair, accurate and reflects the will of American voters. He also called Trenton's immigration enforcement posture «utter insanity.»
For Murphy, the viral «Wow» moment from the debate is more than a campaign breakthrough. He sees it as a test of whether an unscripted message on national security can cut through voters' immediate concerns about gas prices and give Republicans a path to end their decades-long Senate drought in New Jersey. Booker's campaign did not respond to a request for comment on the exchange.