Rutgers poll gives Murphy a C as term ends

The basics:

• Rutgers-Eagleton poll shows New Jersey residents give Murphy C average grade
• Lowest marks on affordability and taxes, both in the D+ range
• Murphy exits with steady approval, favorability ratings

Gov. Phil Murphy‘s time in office is rapidly coming to a close, and a new poll out Jan. 15 from Rutgers-Eagleton reveals the governor’s report card from New Jerseyans.

Residents gave Murphy a “C” for his overall performance over the last eight years.

The poll asked residents to grade the Democratic governor using a standard A-to-F scale (4 points for A to 0 points for F). Overall, he earned a 2.09 grade-point average, with:

• 9% giving him an A
• 32%: B
• 23%: C
• 16%: D
• 13%: F

His weakest marks came on two issues most often cited as top concerns – affordability (1.32 GPA) and taxes (1.44 GPA), with voters giving him a D+ on each. Notably on those two issues, 3 in 10 respondents gave him an F.

According to the poll, Murphy exits with steady, middle-of-the-road favorability and approval ratings. Respondents were also evenly divided over whether the state is headed in the right direction. That includes:

• Favorability:
  • 43% favorable
  • 32% unfavorable
  • 23% unsure
• Job approval:
  • 48% approve
  • 35% disapprove
  • 17% unsure
• State’s direction:
  • 42% right direction
  • 43% wrong track

‘Avoided sharp swings’

“Gov. Murphy will leave office much as he entered it – a governor who rarely elicited strong reactions and generally avoided sharp swings in public opinion,” said Ashley Koning, assistant research professor and director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling at Rutgers University–New Brunswick. “Murphy exits with the steadiest ratings of any governor in our five decades of polling. He received neither the highest nor lowest ratings of any governor on record, in sharp contrast to his immediate predecessor.”

Murphy also earned mostly C-range grades on other fiscal measures the poll asked residents to grade him on, including the economy and jobs (1.98 GPA) and the state budget and government spending (1.79 GPA).

Koning noted that those numbers barely changed between Murphy’s first and second terms.

“Murphy’s grades on key fiscal issues have remained largely unchanged from his first to second term, suggesting New Jerseyans saw little progress in these critical areas,” said Koning. “Addressing these same challenges will be among Gov.-elect [Mikie] Sherrill’s most important tasks as she takes office next week.”

Head of the class

Other key survey findings include:

• Transportation and infrastructure: C- (1.94 GPA), nearly identical to his first-term grades
• Strongest issue areas: Education and schools (2.11 GPA) and crime and safety (2.11 GPA), though education marks slipped since the end of his first term
• Health care: C (2.09 GPA), with fewer residents now giving him an F than earlier in his tenure

The results are based on a statewide poll of 1,570 New Jersey adults contacted through the Rutgers-Eagleton/SSRS Garden State Panel from Dec. 29, 2025, to Jan. 6, 2026. The margin of error is +/- 3.6%.

The full poll results can be found here.