NJ governor signs law described as 'frontal assault' on good government

04 April 2023

New Jersey Gov. Philip D. Murphy (D) recently signed a piece of legislation that will likely reshape the state's laws regarding campaign finance laws.

According to The New York Times, Murphy's signed law comes just months after concerns were raised by a watchdog organization advocating to protect the integrity of fund-raising for election campaigns across the state of New Jersey.

Per the news outlet, "In January, a watchdog agency created 50 years ago to safeguard the integrity of campaign fund-raising in New Jersey filed four complaints. Three cited irregularities in powerful Democrat-led accounts, and one dinged a committee set up to elect Republicans."

The report went on to highlight how many of the complaints could have led to substantial consequences, but Murphy's signing of the bill ultimately changed that outcome.

"All of the complaints had the potential to result in hefty fines. And all of them vanished Monday afternoon when the governor, Philip D. Murphy, signed a controversial bill that fundamentally reshapes New Jersey’s campaign finance laws," the report adds.

The bill recently signed into law is described as a "way to double donation limits to candidates and to require some so-called dark money fund-raising groups to disclose large donors, whose identities are currently secret."

However, the report also notes that there are still obstacles that will increase the difficulty in regulating campaign spending.

"As the legislation moved through Trenton, where Democrats control the Assembly and Senate, amendments were added that make it harder to rein in — or police — campaign spending," the report reads.

Murphy's overhaul in New Jersey comes more than a decade after a U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of a group called Citizens United. According to the news outlet, that ruling provided "limitless federal spending by corporations and unions."

Since that ruling, other states have also taken similar action to incorporate limitations on monetary influences in government. Murphy's latest action comes just weeks after his recent remarks about the importance of transparency.

“Anything that we believe is on the side of transparency that is responsible, that opens up democracy, that shines a light as opposed to the opposite, assume that we’re going to be for it,” he said. “I think we wait and see what the final, what this looks like as it iterates.”

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