June 2, 2005 Gubernatorial hopeful [Murphy] stumps in classroom
By John Reitmeyer
BURLINGTON COUNTY TIMES
MOUNT HOLLY - Rancocas Valley Regional High School students got a first-hand look at gubernatorial politics yesterday when Republican primary candidate John Murphy brought his home-stretch stump into the classroom.
Murphy, a Morris County freeholder, is one of seven GOP candidates vying for his party's nomination in the primary next week.
While Doug Forrester and Bret Schundler, the contest's two leading candidates, have turned to finger pointing as the primary season closes, Murphy is using this time to tour the state and continue efforts to rally support.
Yesterday, he shelved the political talk while speaking with about 30 students who are taking teacher Tony Pietrofitta's law, society and politics class.
"I really want to talk about community service and public service," Murphy said. "There are so many things that you can do."
Murphy, 45, explained how he got his start in politics and why he's chosen to be a Republican. He also discussed the frustration of having raised a million dollars for his first statewide race, only to see Forrester and his $10 million steal the show.
Despite polls that show Murphy is trailing Schundler by more than 20 percent and Forrester by more than 30 percent, he remains upbeat. The same polls indicate 42 percent of the voters are still making up their minds.
"If the race was held today, I'm probably third place," he said. "The good news is there's six days left."
Still, many political observers are looking at Murphy, the son of Irish immigrants, as an up-and-comer for the GOP. The theme of his campaign has been to restore integrity in the Statehouse by eliminating old-school patronage politics and he invited the students to work to do the same.
"The next generation, I think can have a lot to do with that," he said.
Keith Johnson, an 18-year-old senior from Westampton, was among the students Murphy impressed.
"From our point of view," Johnson said, "how often do we come into contact with anyone who's a politician?"
