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Booker rival who ‘shoots from the hip’ hopes viral debate moment can break GOP’s Senate drought
By Charles Creitz, Kiera McDonald
Published October 19, 2026
A New Jersey attorney and former municipal official who made waves during his debate with Sen. Cory Booker, D-N. J., said his unscripted style may be the secret sauce to making history and ending a Republican Senate drought in New Jersey that stretches back more than half a century.
Justin Murphy, a Navy veteran and former deputy mayor of Tabernacle in the state’s Pine Barrens, stunned his incumbent Democratic opponent when, in response to a question about the Iran war strategy, he bluntly said President Donald Trump should forcefully "finish it."
"I don’t have a speechwriter. There’s no teleprompter — I shoot from the hip because I want people to see a very sincere, genuine and authentic Justin Murphy," Murphy told Fox News Digital.
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Winner of the Republican U.S. Senate primary in New Jersey on Tuesday, June 2, 2026. (Jersey Justin For Senate)
"This came up. And I had no idea it would become as viral or explode as it has on social media. It's what I felt. I meant what I said. I said what I meant. It wasn't planned to try to spark the reaction that we got … through social media."
Clifford Case, the last Republican to represent the Garden State in the Senate, was last elected in 1972 – the same year Giants Stadium broke ground, years before the Jets joined the Giants in New Jersey and before NJ Transit was created.
Murphy said that in his 60 years, he cannot remember a time when Iran’s support for terrorism, "export" of assassination or killing of its own people was not a feature of the nightly news.
"I think we have a president now that is breaking from the past, and he's no longer kicking the can down the road. And I think that's important that our young people know tomorrow that they will not have to worry about what the words ‘Strait of Hormuz’ mean when this is over."
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Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) speaks alongside Democratic Senate Judiciary Committee members during a news conference on the nomination of acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on Capitol Hill on July 15, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Eric Lee/Getty Images)
Asked how his message on Iran can overcome concerns about the war’s effect on energy prices – including among Republicans and independents in the crucial Philadelphia metro area where he lives – Murphy said it is important to offer a vision focused on long-term national and energy security.
The "long-term" aspect of his message is twofold, he said, noting that he was in first grade in the Philadelphia suburb of Collingdale, Pennsylvania, the last time New Jersey elected a Republican to the Senate.
"Number one — it’s time for a change. We had a good cordial debate with [Cory Booker] but he’s been a senator for 13 years — he’s been [in Washington] longer than Donald Trump."
"I don't think he gets to blame Donald Trump for anything. He's part of the branch of government that passes our country's laws and writes our tax codes and passes our budgets. I'm wondering what he's willing to take responsibility or blame for."
"So what I tell people is that we need a new generation of Americans to serve in Washington, a new day in New Jersey politics, and our working and middle class New Jersey desperately need a voice in the U.S. Senate, and my campaign represents all three of those."
Looking to that "better tomorrow," Murphy said he understands concerns about the Iran conflict’s effect on gas prices in his area, which he put at $4.20 per gallon as of Wednesday and which have become a major point of criticism of the current administration.
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"If they're upset at gasoline at $4.20 … you were paying over $5 a gallon with Joe Biden with a 9% interest rate, with a 20% cumulative inflation rate, with an open border, rising crime rates, declining wages and an 8% interest rate that is a full point or two higher than it is now," he said.
Murphy said those concerned about prices should also look to domestic energy production and support policies that increase refining capacity to reduce exposure to global oil markets.
He also pointed to legislation introduced moments before the interview by "Squad" member Delia Ramirez, D-Ill., to dismantle the Department of Homeland Security.
"This is madness and insanity, and it's not the tomorrow that Americans want or can build together," he said.
Murphy was also asked about election security in New Jersey, where hundreds of noncitizens have been found to have voted in recent elections as the Sherrill administration pushes back on federal efforts to crack down.
"Election integrity is extremely and critically important, not only to me and my campaign, but to the country. We're designed as a representative government, a constitutional republic, and we need to know our elections are secure — We know we have contaminated rolls in New Jersey," he said.
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Murphy stressed that he does not want an election system that benefits Republicans, as critics claim, but one that is fair, accurate and reflects the will of American voters. He also called Trenton’s immigration enforcement posture "utter insanity."
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For Murphy, the debate’s viral "Wow" moment was more than a campaign breakthrough. He sees it as a test of whether an unscripted message on national security can cut through voters’ immediate concerns about gas prices — and give Republicans a path to end their decades-long Senate drought in New Jersey.
Booker's campaign did not respond to a request for comment on the exchange.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/booker-rival-shoots-hip-hopes-viral-debate-moment-break-gops-senate-drought