Murphy wants Trump rally in New Jersey

Republican U.S. Senate nominee Justin Murphy wants President Donald Trump to come to New Jersey for a campaign rally before Election Day, and he’s frustrated that national Republicans have largely written off his race against Democratic U.S. Sen. Cory Booker.

Murphy said he has heard nothing from the White House about a potential Trump endorsement and has had no contact with the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the campaign arm of Senate Republicans.

“We haven’t heard from the White House,” Murphy said.

“I think a lot at the national level doesn’t feel that the Senate race and most of the House races in New Jersey are competitive,” he added.

“Hopefully we will hear from them,” Murphy said. “If not, we’ll march forward.”

Murphy, who is seeking to unseat Booker in a state that hasn’t elected a Republican to the U.S. Senate since 1972, drew a sharp distinction between the national GOP and New Jersey Republican leaders, whom he praised for their support.

“Chairwoman Christine Hanlon and the NJGOP have been fantastic,” Murphy said. “It’s the RNC and the national level that have taken a cold view of New Jersey.”

And Murphy isn’t giving up on getting Trump to appear in the Garden State in the final days of the campaign.

“I’m trying to get him to come to New Jersey before Election Day and have a big rally,” Murphy said of Trump.

Murphy made the comments during a town hall meeting at a VFW hall in Roseland, one stop on his campaign tour of all 21 New Jersey counties, where he fielded questions on everything from Senate rules and election integrity to government waste, renewable energy, and Supreme Court appointments.

Murphy has already attracted some national attention for his outspoken support of Trump’s military action against Iran.

During the New Jersey Globe/Rider University U.S. Senate debate with Booker, Murphy told Trump, “Mr. President, put your cowboy hat on and get out there and kick some ass.”

The remark went viral, drawing millions of views after Fox News and other conservative news organizations replayed the exchange.

In Roseland, Murphy made it clear he wouldn’t hesitate to challenge some of the Senate’s longstanding traditions if elected.

He called for eliminating the Senate filibuster, which generally requires 60 votes to advance most legislation to a final vote, arguing that a party that wins control of the chamber should be able to enact the agenda voters elected it to pursue.

“I would eliminate it,” Murphy stated. “I don’t like it, I never did.”

He acknowledged that the filibuster can be a valuable weapon for the minority party, but suggested that its usefulness in blocking legislation doesn’t justify keeping it.

“It can save your bacon; if you’re in the minority and want to block something, you can do it,” Murphy said. “If you have a majority in the U.S. Senate, the American people gave you that majority.”

Murphy also reaffirmed his support for the SAVE Act, Republican-backed legislation that would impose new voter registration requirements, and suggested that Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-South Dakota) could have done more to move the measure forward.

But he stopped short of blaming Thune for its failure to advance, pointing instead to opposition from several Republican senators.

“I personally don’t have an issue with John Thune. I think he could’ve done better with the SAVE Act because I support the SAVE Act, but John Thune was always a yes on the SAVE Act,” Murphy said.

“We had three or four senators that were not, and that’s what threw a wrench in the works,” he added.

Murphy said Senate leaders inevitably bear responsibility for political setbacks, even when the obstacles are beyond their control.

“As leader, you get blamed for the rain, you get some credit for the sunshine,” he said.

On federal spending, Murphy called for aggressive investigations into fraud across government, insisting scrutiny shouldn’t be limited to programs favored by Democrats.

He specifically included the Department of Defense among the agencies that should face greater oversight.

“I don’t care if it’s Obamacare or the DOD,” Murphy said.

“It’s long overdue, and the DOD should also be in the crosshairs,” he added.

Murphy also proposed an economic development plan to turn vacant urban brownfields into solar energy sites, using the electricity they generate as an incentive to bring manufacturing jobs back to New Jersey cities.

Under his plan, public-private partnerships would finance solar installations on contaminated or abandoned industrial properties, combining environmental cleanup with a source of affordable electricity for manufacturers willing to relocate to the state.

Murphy, an attorney and former deputy mayor of Tabernacle, focused on energy and natural resources law, argued that the approach could address several longstanding challenges at once: reclaiming neglected urban land, expanding renewable energy, reducing electricity costs, and creating jobs.

“Everybody should love it; it’s a clean source of power; you’re cleaning up brownfields, economic growth, you’re employing people gainfully; it’s a win-win for everybody,” he said.

Murphy also discussed his approach to evaluating nominees to the U.S. Supreme Court, offering an unconventional question he said would help him determine whether a judicial candidate could separate personal beliefs from the law.

“What decision have you handed down that you have personally disagreed with?” Murphy said. “Then you know you have a good judge.”

When discussing potential Supreme Court nominees who could meet his standards, Murphy mentioned U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas).