Murphy still fundraising for the DGA, but he’s staying in-state far more than Christie did

Gov. Phil Murphy is still fundraising for the Democratic Governors Association, though the two to three hours he spends on DGA matters each week falls far short of Gov. Chris Christie spent on his out-of-state endeavors.

“I spend typically, and it’s entirely phone or Zoom, a few hours a week for the DGA, and it’s typically raising money, but … it is in some cases, going over races and allocating that money,” Murphy said. “But it’s not a lot of hours. It’s two to three hours a week probably at this point.”

Murphy chairs the DGA, just as Christie chaired the Republican Governors Association during his tenure, but the sitting governor hasn’t displayed the same appetite for higher office that defined the last years of Christie’s time as governor.

According to a tally maintained by the Star Ledger’s Matt Arco, Christie spent all or part of 261 days outside of New Jersey in 2015, when he was seeking the Republican presidential nomination.

That tally came in at 148 days in 2014. Then, Christie was crisscrossing the country for the RGA while laying the groundwork for his presidential bid.

The tallies create a clear contrast between Christie, who has occasionally jabbed his successor since leaving office, and Murphy, who last week told Politico New Jersey he had ruled out taking a position in the Biden administration should the former vice president oust President Donald Trump.