It felt more like an indie-rock concert than a political rally, as hundreds of students gathered Thursday night under an open, blue-lit tent at Rutgers University.
“Bernie! Bernie! Bernie!” they chanted wildly.
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders visited the New Brunswick school to campaign for Gov. Phil Murphy’s re-election bid just days away. He energized the crowd with his trademark call to revamp government to better help the young and working-class — a message that has long drawn him a devoted following among college-age voters.
And while Sanders was the clearly main attraction, the former presidential candidate repeatedly championed Murphy as a vessel for that message and urged the young audience to help vote the Democratic governor into a second term Tuesday.
“I am here because your governor is one of the most progressive, if not the most progressive, governors in America,” the Vermont independent said of Murphy. “And because he stands for working people, working people stand for him.”
The evening encapsulated Murphy’s high-profile get-out-the-voter effort in the waning days of his race against Republican challenger Jack Ciattarelli. Sanders is the latest in a parade of big-name politicians to appear alongside Murphy in New Jersey, home to one of only two governor’s races in the nation this year (along with Virginia).
Sanders arrived just days after visits by President Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama. Former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, First Lady Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff also joined Murphy at events in recent weeks.
Polls in the last week have shown Murphy ahead, albeit not by the big double-digit margins he had a month or so ago. A survey released Wednesday by Monmouth University, found Murphy leading Ciattarelli by 11 percentage points. A poll released Thursday by Stockton University, showed Murphy up by 9 percentage points.
Thursday was about courting younger voters, many of whom likely weren’t old enough to vote for Murphy the first time, in 2017. The recent Monmouth poll found only 51% of likely voters between ages 18 and 34 are “very motivated” to vote Tuesday.
As much of the Rutgers crowd held up their cell phones to capture the rally, Murphy told the students that New Jersey “underachieved” before he was elected four years ago. He touted how he has installed a string of progressive policies: raising the minimum wage, expanding preschool and child care, funding women’s health clinics, signing an equal-pay law, raising taxes on the wealthy.
“And finally, we have legalized weed!” Murphy exclaimed.
That one drew some of the largest cheers of the night.
“I wasn’t sure if that was gonna get a reaction,” the governor quipped.
“Folks, we have come a long way, but our work is not done,” Murphy added.
He then noted that Ciattarelli, a former member of the state Assembly, is against policies such as legalized pot. That one drew boos.
“There’s too much at stake, especially for your generation,” Murphy said.
The governor then called Sanders “a political icon” who has been a “clarion call” for progressive politics for decades.
“New Jersey is proving that what he stands for can work for the United States of America,” Murphy said.
Sanders thanked Murphy for enacting policies they both support.
“Gov. Murphy is setting an example,” he said.
Ciattarelli has taken a different approach in the closing weeks of the campaign, criss-crossing the Garden State to appear at local businesses and legion halls and local fairs. On Thursday morning, he shook hands and rallied supporters at the Reo Diner in Woodbridge.
Part of his message is that Murphy is too left-wing for New Jersey and has burdened the state with higher taxes and bloated government spending.
National Republicans, meanwhile, mocked Murphy for Thursday’s guest.
“Bernie Sanders will alienate more voters than he will attract, which is the last thing Phil Murphy needs,” Republican National Committee spokeswoman Rachel Lee said. “Extreme agendas are nothing new for Murphy, but with the race’s tight margin, you’d think the Murphy camp would at least try to keep it in check.”
Will Reinhart, a spokesman with the Republican Governors Association, said Murphy “gave the stiff arm to independents and invited the avowed socialist Bernie Sanders to campaign with him as Democratic voters’ enthusiasm to show up at the poles takes a nosedive.”
Some political experts see both the Virginia and New Jersey race as a bellwether on not just Biden’s first year in office but the national Democratic agenda as the president’s poll numbers have dropped.
Sanders’ speech at Rutgers came hours after Biden announced what he called an “historic” deal for sweeping federal spending plans that have been debated among different wings of the Democratic Party in recent weeks. Democrats are still searching for final votes to pass the $1.5 trillion package.
The plans are dramatically scaled back from what was originally proposed, with some progressive provisions — such as family leave and tuition-free community college — stripped out.
But Sanders called it “the most consequential legislation in this history of this country for working families.”
He said it will not only improve policy but help “restore the faith of the American people that their government can work for them and not just special interests.”
He also called on “young people” in the audience to “get involved” by grabbing friends and supporting Murphy at the polls.
“I know that a lot of your friends are going to say, ‘Politics is bulls**t, don’t get involved, don’t waste your time,’” Sanders said. “You tell them that you’re tired of their complaining.”
“Let us tell right-wing Republicans that their day is over in New Jersey,” he added.
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Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @johnsb01.
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