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Gov. Phil Murphy is getting a second shot at heading the Democratic Governors Association.

Murphy will serve as vice chairman in 2022, and in 2023 will head the national group that works to elect and re-elect Democratic governors across the country, the DGA announced Saturday. He was previously chairman of the DGA in 2020.

Murphy has already been elected as vice chairman of the National Governors Association, the umbrella organization representing all governors, next year and will be the NGA chairman in 2023.

Only three states Kentucky, Louisiana, and Mississippi have gubernatorial races in 2023. But Murphy has the potential for an oversized role as vice chairman next year because the incoming chairman, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, has a Republican lieutenant governor and GOP-controlled state Legislature, meaning its unlikely hell be spending much time out of his state.

With 36 governors races next year, we believe our Democratic incumbents are in a strong position for re-election, and we have multiple opportunities to flip Republican seats, Murphy said in a statement from the DGA.

I look forward to working with Gov. Cooper to ensure the DGA has the resources necessary to be competitive everywhere, so we can continue to emphasize how Democratic governors deliver on the kitchen table issues that directly impact Americans daily lives.

Former Gov. Chris Christie held the same role when he was in office for the Republican Governors Association. He used the position to crisscross the country in the lead up to his failed presidential campaign.

Murphy criticized how his predecessor spent so much time out of state when he headed the RGA and said he planned to do less travel. He ultimately ended up nearly not leaving the state at all in 2020 after New Jersey had its first recorded case of the coronavirus in March of that year.

Nonetheless, Murphy broke fundraising records for the DGA during that time.

When about travel for the DGA at his coronavirus briefing in Trenton on Monday, Murphy said he wont let the job affect his governorship.

My nose is pressed against the New Jersey glass, he said. As much as I feel strongly weve got something to add to the DGA, well do it in a way that works for New Jersey. Thats something we never violate.

Murphy said he was able to do the job largely on the phone or virtually last time he held the position.

This all comes a little more than a month after Murphy was re-elected governor by a closer-than-expected margin over Republican Jack Ciattarelli amid a surge in Republican turnout. Nonetheless, Murphy became the first Democrat re-elected New Jerseys governor since 1977.

NJ Advance Media staff writer Brent Johnson contributed to this report.

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Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @MatthewArco.

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Murphy getting another shot to lead Democratic governors group - NJ.com