Get all the latest news on coronavirus and more delivered daily to your inbox. Sign up here.
The coronavirus outbreak has put New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy in the spotlight – and he’s expected to play an even more prominent role in the coming weeks as his state’s number of confirmed cases is rapidly rising.
New Jersey as of April 2 has 22,255 patients, the second-most in the U.S., statistics show. Murphy, in unison with his fellow Democrat governors in New York and Connecticut, has announced a series of business closures and other measures in hopes of containing COVID-19’s spread.
Prior to facing this current challenge, the 62-year-old has kept himself busy since taking over the governor’s role in January 2018.
GOV. MURPHY CHANGES COURSE TO LET GUN STORES OPEN DURING CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK
“He has signed legislation putting New Jersey on the path to a $15-an-hour minimum wage, enacted the nation’s strongest equal pay law to combat gender wage discrimination, ensured all workers have access to paid sick days and expanded the state’s Paid Family Leave provisions,” Murphy’s office says.
It went on to describe him as making New Jersey a “national leader in tackling gun violence” and said he has “expanded protections for the state’s immigrant and LGBTQ communities, among others.”
In early 2019, Murphy passed a bill that made New Jersey the second state behind California to require schools to teach LGBTQ history. Those changes to the curriculum are set to go into effect for this upcoming school year.
MURPHY SLAMS 47-PERSON ‘CORONA PARTY’ AFTER EARLIER WARNING
Under Murphy’s leadership, New Jersey also became the second state in the nation to legalize sports betting after a Supreme Court decision paved the way in July 2018. That move has breathed new life into Atlantic City, which has emerged as a regional hotspot for those looking to wager on events.
Before being governor, Murphy was the U.S. Ambassador to Germany from 2009 to 2013. He served as the finance chair of the Democratic National Committee in the four years preceding that period, and also at one point was New Jersey’s lone representative on the board of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), his office says.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“He has led and supported charities to lift up troubled teens and domestic abuse survivors,” it adds.
Murphy holds degrees from two Ivy League institutions — Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania – and lives with his wife and their four children.
