Phil Murphy’s fight with the ‘We Control Everything’ Curse

Here’s something that doesn’t happen frequently: one party occupies the White House, the governorship and both of New Jersey’s U.S. Senate seats, while simultaneously controlling both houses of Congress, the State Senate and the Assembly.

As he seeks to become the first Democratic governor to win re-election in 44 years, Phil Murphy must also battle the “We Control Everything” Curse that was last broken with the defeat of an incumbent Democratic governor.

New Jersey Democrats have controlled it all since January 20, 2021, when Joe Biden became president.

The last time Democrats controlled everything was twelve years ago, between the inaugurations of President Barack Obama and Gov. Chris Christie, who ousted Jon Corzine later in 2009.

Before that, it was from 1979 to 1981, between the time U.S. Senator Clifford Case left office and the swearing-in of President Ronald Reagan.  That two year stretch was the longest since 1929 through 1931, during the era of President Herbert Hoover, Gov. Morgan Larsen, and U.S. Senators Hamilton Kean, Walter Edge, David Baird, Jr., Dwight Morrow and Warren Barbour.

Republicans ran the table in 1953, after Dwight Eisenhower became president.  New Jersey had two Republican senators – H. Alexander Smith and Robert Hendrickson – and the GOP controlled Congress and the New Jersey Legislature.  That ended after Republican Alfred Driscoll was term-limited and Democrat Robert Meyner was elected governor.

While New Jerseyan Woodrow Wilson was president, Democrats held two U.S. Senate seats, the governorship, and majorities in both houses of Congress and the state legislature in 1913 and 1914.

If Murphy wins re-election, he will break both the curse and the record.  Democrats don’t have to defend the White House and a U.S. Senate seat until 2024.