Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy of New Jersey took over as the leader of the nation's nonpartisan governors' association on Friday in a time of deep divide between the states over issues such as abortion and gun control.
Murphy took the reins as chair of the National Governors Association from departing head Asa Hutchinson, the Republican governor of Arkansas. Murphy will be tasked with fostering bipartisanship among members of the organization while some of them, such as California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom and Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, are publicly feuding with each other.
