TRENTON, N.J., Jan. 25 (UPI) -- Morris County, N.J., Republican John Murphy has joined the 2005 gubernatorial race with a pledge to fight government corruption and mismanagement.
"New Jersey state government is ethically and financially bankrupt," Murphy said, declaring the next governor "must be a Trenton outsider ... someone who is willing to challenge the entrenched establishment," the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
Murphy starts out the race far behind former Jersey City Mayor and unsuccessful 2001 GOP gubernatorial nominee Bret Schundler and businessman Douglas Forrester, who lead the field of eight candidates vying for the Republican nomination for governor.
Despite his low name identification, Murphy's candidacy is not being dismissed. Morris County, the home of his political base, contributes about 13 percent of the GOP vote statewide. His effort to increase his name recognition among New Jersey voters kicked off Tuesday with a TV ad campaign on the Fox News Channel, in which he appears in his volunteer-firefighter uniform, talking about public service.
