TRENTON, NJ – New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy had a Jack Ciattarelli moment this week after being the topic of a $1,000 answer on the hit television show Jeopardy.
“In 2021 he became the first Democrat reelected Jersey’s gov. since Brendan Byrne in 1977; maybe an arena will be named for him,” the clue read.
After all three contestants, including Jeopardy brainiac, Amy Schneider who is on a $1,000,000 winning streak didn’t know the answer to such recent current events.
The question: Who is Phil Murphy?
Apparently, few people outside of New Jersey know who Governor Phil Murphy is as host Ken Jennings was forced to reveal the answer to the dumbfounded contestants.
Murphy in 2021 defeated his Republican opponent Jack Ciattarelli, becoming the first Democrat governor in the state to win re-election since 1977. Ciattarelli suffered from an identity crisis during that election as poll after poll showed the Republican candidate didn’t have any name recognition beyond political insider circles.
Now, Murphy had a slight taste of how his opponent felt during the 2021 campaign.
When he saw he was the topic on the game show, Murphy tweeted, “I’d like to buzz in.”