NJ Gov Murphy: Dem policies prevented being 'swept away' by GOP; no current plan to end COVID mandates despite

close

Video

Phil Murphy claims victory in tight New Jersey governor’s race

Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy and Republican challenger Jack Ciattarelli fought in New Jersey’s gubernatorial race that was too close to call on Election Day.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy had not been expected to have a close race against Republican challenger Jack Ciattarelli, but he nearly lost, coming up with just enough votes to prevail as votes continued to be counted after Election Day had come and gone.

While Murphy's near-loss and Virginia Democrat Terry McAuliffe's defeat has been seen by some as an indicator that Americans are not in favor of current Democratic policies, Murphy claimed Sunday that his policies are exactly what kept him in office.

DEMOCRATIC NEW JERSEY GOV. PHIL MURPHY EKES OUT WIN OVER GOP CHALLENGER CIATTARELLI

"Thank God we put the programs in place we put in place, the actions we took – whether it’s expanding pre-k, raising the minimum wage, investing at all-time record levels in infrastructure -- because I think had we not we might have been swept away as well," Murphy told NBC's "Meet the Press."

Murphy later addressed one area in which Democrats including President Biden have been hammered by Republicans: pandemic-related mandates. Asked about "mandate fatigue" and whether there are plans to lift current restrictions, Murphy acknowledged that it is a real concern but that there is no end date in view at the present time, even if he hopes that the day comes soon.

NEW JERSEY POLLSTER ADMITS HE ‘BLEW IT’ ON GOVERNOR'S RACE, QUESTIONS WHETHER ELECTION POLLS SHOULD BE USED

"Listen, there’s mandate fatigue everywhere, including with yours truly, so let there be no doubt about that," Murphy admitted. "At the moment, no, but my hope is – particularly with our kids under the age of 12 now being able to get the vaccine – that we will someday sooner than later be able to lift the mask mandate that we have at schools. That is my fervent hope."

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

New Jersey currently requires school children from preschool through 12th grade to wear masks indoors. The state also has a vaccine mandate that requires school workers and others including "all workers in certain health care facilities and high-risk congregate settings, all workers at state agencies, authorities, and colleges and universities and all child care workers" to be vaccinated or face testing at least once or twice per week.