PARSIPPANY - Phil Murphy is a busy man these days. He talks of "sprinting through the tape," and with now less than 48 hours until he leaves, there are still dozens of bills on which to sign or veto.

Nonetheless, the governor spent part of his late term sprint coming to snowy Morris County at noon Sunday to help Brendan Gill's campaign for Congress in CD11 - Mikie Sherrill's vacated seat.

Speaking in a crowded campaign headquarters on Parsippany Road, Murphy observed that there's a lot of talent in the race. There are, in fact, 11 candidates.

"But only one right answer," Murphy said.

The governor and Gill, now an Essex County commissioner, have had a long relationship.

"I would not be here without Brendan," Murphy said, referring to Gill's help and support during Murphy's initial run for governor.

Also announcing support for Gill was Tim Dougherty, the mayor of Morristown.

He suggested it was not an easy call, saying that a lot of the candidates were looking for his support. But he said Gill would do the best for Morris County.

The governor was on the same wavelength.

"This is a statement," he said. "Morris County matters in this district and Brendan knows that."

The backstory here is that the Morris County Democratic Committee has endorsed Tom Malinowski, who represented part of the county as a congressman from CD-7.

Malinowski's move to run for the CD-11 seat - instead of challenging Thomas H. Kean Jr in CD-7 - is an inevitable issue in the campaign.

And one Gill alluded to when he said you can't be an effective leader if you haven't been around.

"I am not just passing through, I am here," he said. The district is mostly parts of Essex and Morris counties with a small bit of Passaic.

The governor said Gill checks all the boxes in supporting issues Democrats care about like affordable housing, health care and education.

Another issue they care about is immigration.

As the Gill event ensued, about 10 sign-waving protesters were across the street, asking Murphy to sign three recently-passed bills to protect immigrants in the face of the federal government's actions.

Murphy said he spoke briefly with the protesters. As for the bills, he was non-committal. He has until noon Tuesday to act.