Justin Murphy is a former Tabernacle Deputy Mayor and self-employed small business owner from the Pinelands region of New Jersey. A U.S. Navy veteran, Murphy has run for office multiple times, including unsuccessful Republican primary bids for Congress in 2008, 2010, and for U.S. Senate in 2024, where he finished a distant third with 11.3% of the vote. He is running again in 2026 with a campaign emphasizing conservative principles, parental rights, and small business support. Murphy has won endorsements from Mercer County and other county Republican organizations. His campaign materials emphasize commitment to preserving the New Jersey Pinelands and Jersey Shore while prioritizing parental rights and medical freedom.
Justin Michael Murphy is a small business owner and U.S. Navy veteran from the Pinelands region of New Jersey. He previously served as Deputy Mayor of Tabernacle. Murphy has pursued electoral politics persistently, running for the U.S. House in the 3rd Congressional District in 2008 and 2010, and for U.S. Senate in 2024, finishing a distant third in the Republican primary with 11.3% of the vote. He has an attorney credential (listed as LL.M. in some records). His campaign emphasizes his personal experience as a self-employed small business owner dealing with financial stress and debt, which he uses to connect with working-class voters. Murphy's political messaging focuses on conservative social issues, education reform, and environment preservation in his home Pinelands region.
Frames parental rights as 'civil rights issues of our time'
Opposes school curricula he views as attempts to 'sexualize children'; believes parents, not government, should control children's education
Voting History: No voting record (not in elected office)
Advocates radical restructuring of federal education system
Calls for abolishing the Department of Education entirely and distributing its budget directly to local school boards and voucher programs
Voting History: No voting record
Emphasizes personal business experience and middle-class economic struggles
Personal experience with financial struggle, debt, and stress of small business ownership; advocates for policies supporting small entrepreneurs
Voting History: No voting record
Prioritizes preservation of Pinelands and Jersey Shore while opposing specific renewable energy projects
While positioning as environmental, criticizes wind farms as 'boondoggle' and pollution threat
Voting History: No voting record
Justin Murphy has not held elected office (though he served as Deputy Mayor of Tabernacle, a non-voting appointed position) and therefore has no legislative voting record. His public positions are derived from campaign platforms and political statements.
Murphy's social media and campaign tone emphasizes conservative principle commitment and anti-establishment positioning. Language is relatively straightforward and policy-focused, emphasizing his outsider and small business credentials. Tone is more moderate compared to some other Republican candidates' more confrontational messaging.
Tabor's military and law enforcement credentials superior to Murphy's
Tabor won county endorsements defeating Murphy significantly (e.g., Ocean County 167-17 margin)
Zdan is better positioned to challenge Booker as front-runner
Zdan framed as establishment media figure and 'front-runner' while Murphy characterized as longer-shot perennial candidate