Joined by Obama and Sherrill, Murphy raises more than $1.5 million for DNC

Joined by former President Barack Obama, Gov. Phil Murphy and First Lady Tammy Murphy raised over $1.5 million for the Democratic National Committee tonight, with some of that haul expected to be spent in New Jersey this year.

The Democratic nominee for governor, Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-Montclair), was at the high-dollar dinner held at the Murphy home in Middletown.

Murphy got his start in national politics as the DNC finance chairman. In remarks at dinner, Murphy discussed the need for a strong party infrastructure and his desire to see national Democrats invest in New Jersey to retain the governorship and control of the State Assembly, the New Jersey Globe has confirmed.

The two-term governor walked Obama through the “lay of the land” in New Jersey, calling Sherrill a formidable candidate who won an impressive primary victory in a six-candidate field.

Acknowledging that Sherrill will have a different approach to governing if she wins the November election, Murphy said the four-term congresswoman would cast her own style, not a third Murphy term.

This was Obama’s first fundraising foray into the 2025 cycle.

Obama nominated Murphy to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to Germany, and the governor told attendees that he was proud to be a Kennedy Democrat as a child growing up in Boston and an Obama Democrat in New Jersey.