Murphy launches 21-county town hall tour in Senate bid against Booker

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Justin Murphy will take his campaign directly to voters this summer and fall, announcing plans to hold 21 town hall meetings — one in every New Jersey county– in an effort to build support for his long-shot challenge to Democratic U.S. Sen. Cory Booker.

Murphy, an attorney, author, U.S. Navy veteran, and former deputy mayor of Tabernacle, said the town hall strategy is intended to create a direct dialogue with voters while bypassing what he views as the shortcomings of modern political campaigns.

In a campaign strategy memo distributed to Republican State Chair Christine Hanlon and county GOP leaders, Murphy argued that Republican candidates too often “preach to the choir” by repeatedly communicating only with Republican voters while allowing Democrats to define their positions.

“I adamantly believe we need to develop a substantive dialogue with the voter, develop a narrative and conversation with them,” Murphy said. “It is critical we do this so we can be successful in defining ourselves and platform.”

Murphy said each town hall will feature unscripted audience questions, with only a moderator present to keep the event organized.  He said the format will allow voters to judge his knowledge and experience without “biased moderators,” predetermined questions, or 30-second debate answers.  Every event will be livestreamed and recorded for distribution on social media.

The Republican nominee said he hopes to attract between 50 and 100 people to each event while reaching a much larger audience online.  He noted that a town hall he held during the Republican primary at the Long Branch Public Library drew about 30 attendees but more than 100,000 online viewers.

The first three town halls have been scheduled:

• Mercer County: Thursday, July 9, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Knights of Columbus Council 6213, 1451 Klockner Road in Hamilton.
• Middlesex County: Friday, July 10, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the American Legion, 148 Major Road in Monmouth Junction.
• Burlington County: Thursday, August 6, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at The Gibson House, 535 East Main Street in Marlton.

Murphy is asking each of New Jersey’s 21 Republican county organizations to help secure venues and promote the events locally, to complete one town hall in every county before Halloween.  The campaign also plans dozens of smaller “Neighbors for Justin” coffee meet-and-greet events, appearances at county fairs, and other local campaign stops.

Another key element of Murphy’s strategy is using Richard Tabor, a retired New Jersey State Police lieutenant who finished second in the Republican U.S. Senate primary, as a statewide campaign surrogate.

“Rich can connect with urban voters, and represent not just ‘Murphy for U.S. Senate’, but the Republican Party as well,” Murphy said.  “It is critical we keep Rich visible to the public.”

He suggested either the campaign or county Republican organizations retain Tabor as a paid consultant, calling it “critical” that Tabor remain visible after the primary.

Murphy won the statewide primary by 9,801 votes over Tabor, 33%-29%, in a four-candidate field.  He had spent less than $15,000 as of mid-May.

Booker, a former Newark mayor who is seeking another six-year term in the Senate, first won a 2013 special election following the death of Sen. Frank Lautenberg.  Republicans have not won a U.S. Senate race in New Jersey since 1972.