Last Tuesday, New Jersey elected a new governor and will officially say goodbye to Chris Christie on January 16, 2018. Phil Murphy, the new Democratic governor-elect, promises to raise taxes for the upper-class, increase funding for transit, schools and the pension program, close tax loopholes used by large corporations, legalize and tax marijuana and raise the minimum wage. In addition, he wants to fight Donald Trump’s agenda by making New Jersey a “sanctuary state” and creating stricter gun laws. Murphy’s plans will help the less privileged, create a safer state and work towards fixing New Jersey’s financial debt.

Murphy’s Republican opposition, Kim Guadagno, lost the election by 279,614 votes. Guadagno was Christie’s lieutenant governor for both terms he held in office. Her goals were also to make New Jersey a safer and more affordable state. Due to her ties to Christie, voters found it difficult to trust her even though she “wanted to run as her own person”. She wanted to lower property taxes, as opposed to legalizing marijuana, and was against making New Jersey a “sanctuary state”.

New Jersey’s clear contempt for Donald Trump and Chris Christie led them to have difficulty voting for another Republican and this hurt Guadagno in the race.

“After eight years of Chris Christie, it would have been difficult for any Republican, never mind his lieutenant governor, to win this November,” said Julie Roginsky, Murphy’s former campaign staffer.

Also, Guadagno’s plan to lower property taxes wasn’t so much a plan as it was a goal. She couldn’t back up her main idea and instead directed her attention towards bashing Murphy’s idea to protect undocumented immigrants.

If Murphy accomplishes the many goals he set, New Jersey will become a safer and more financially stable state. His plan to tax legalized marijuana and raise taxes on the rich will allow him to fully fund schools and other government institutions. Stricter gun laws and protections for undocumented immigrants will make New Jersey a safer state for all people living in it. New Jersey citizens have hope for the future of the state and Phil Murphy seems like he will be a positive and influential governor that will change the state for the better.