N.J. Republicans and Democrats argue about spending, quality of life after Gov. Phil Murphy’s State of the State address

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During his State of the State address Monday, Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy reflected on his seven years  in office, touting New Jersey’s progress toward becoming a stronger and fairer state that is helping residents better prepare for the future.

Immediately after the speech, Republican leaders insisted the number of Garden State residents struggling to make ends meet is on the rise, and that Jersey is actually less prepared to move forward, because the state continues to spend more money than it is taking in.

Ben Dworkin, the director of the Rowan University Institute for Public Policy and Citizenship, believes it’s not surprising that both sides are arguing about which reality is actually taking place in the Garden State.

He said as the governor begins his final year in office, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are jockeying for position.

“They’re looking past this governor. They want to present their argument [and] they want to frame it for their candidates who are going to be running for the governor’s seat,” he said.

Dworkin said before and after the speech, “everybody did this little dance,” with Murphy trying to cement his legacy by reviewing his accomplishments, and Republicans then trying to chip away at it once the address was over.

“Each year each party plays its role, and they try to frame the political landscape for the public in a way that most benefits their candidates in next November’s elections,” he said.

Tina Zappile, the director of the Public Policy Center at Stockton University, said the debate between Democrats and Republicans over spending in Jersey has been going on for decades, and members of the minority political party,currently the Republicans, will frequently protest their exclusion from important policy decisions made in Trenton.

“That does appeal to the public when we’re in an election year, regardless of how much that is true or not true on all issues or particular issues, ” she said.

She said during the State of the State address, Murphy articulated a clear vision and a set of values that Democrats are expected to embrace moving forward.

“He came out with a pretty strong agenda, but that agenda included a lot of easy wins that people on both sides of the aisle can get around,” she said.

Zappile noted that includes Murphy’s support of a proposal to ban cell phones in school classrooms to improve student mental health, and revisions to the state’s tax system to make it more fair.

Dworkin agreed, but said as the race for governor starts to heat up in the coming weeks, so too will the rhetoric.

“It’s an effort to try and continue, you can’t just do it in one day, it’s an effort to try and make it a more hospitable environment for their candidates down the road,” he said.

Zappile said regardless of what’s happening nationally or even at the local level, Jersey voters tend to go back and forth in different elections on how much the state should be spending on different programs and services to help lower-wage earners.

“We just can’t seem to make up our minds, and are open to appeals on the big issues, whatever each party brings to the table for the next governor’s race,” she said.