FILE - Rep. Andy Kim, D-N.J., speaks to delegates in Paramus, N.J., March 4, 2024. New Jersey first lady Tammy Murphy has suspended her senate campaign to replace Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., as he faces federal corruption charges. Murphy announced her decision in a video posted to her social media on Sunday, March 24. Her decision to drop out likely clears the way for Kim in the Democratic primary on June 4.
“The tide in New Jersey has shifted,” said Antoinette Miles, director of New Jersey Working Families, who was also at the hearing and has argued for abolishing the balloting system. “I think the line is on its way out.” The dynamic had been expected to figure prominently in the June 4 primary to succeed three-term senator Menendez, in part because Tammy Murphy's candidacy came along with the backing of big-county political party chairmen, giving her the perceived boost from having her name more prominently displayed. But Kim — until now better known as the soft-spoken congressmen who was seen cleaning trash out of the Capitol after the Jan.
Faced with the prospect of a bruising fight, Murphy opted to bow out. Her intent, she said, was to keep the party together given the enormity of the stakes in this year's election. “Tammy Murphy’s a smart woman,” said Montclair State University political science professor Brigid Harrison. “I'm going to assume that her ability to read the room meant that she understood what was happening at the grassroots level."