Tammy Murphy, New Jersey’s first lady and one of the leading contenders to replace indicted Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez, abruptly ended her campaign Sunday — saying in a video posted to social media that she didn’t want to divide the party ahead of the looming threat of a second Trump presidency.
“After many busy, invigorating and yes, challenging months, I am suspending my Senate campaign today,” Murphy said in the video posted to X.
“I have been genuine and factual throughout, but it is clear to me that continuing in this race will involve waging a very divisive and negative campaign, which I am not willing to do,” she continued.
“And with Donald Trump on the ballot and so much at stake for our nation, I will not in good conscience waste resources tearing down a fellow Democrat.”
The stunning announcement immediately sent shockwaves throughout the Garden State. Until recently, many had considered the governor’s wife to be the pre-ordained successor to Menendez’s seat.
And it all but clears the way for her main opponent, Rep. Andy Kim, to seize the Democratic nomination in the state’s June primary.
Murphy had the support of many county Democratic Party bosses, which remains important in New Jersey because they often award favored candidates with “the line,” or a prime spot on the ballot.
But Kim, a three-term congressman, pulled off several upsets in county committee votes throughout New Jersey — even defeating Murphy in her home county of Monmouth.
She did rally to win some important contests, such as the committee vote in Bergen County, the state’s most populous.
But a sense of doom had pervaded her campaign of late — especially when Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop suddenly yanked his support for the first lady last week and threw it behind the insurgent congressman.
“I was an early supporter of Tammy Murphy for Senate but it’s no secret I’ve been disappointed with the campaign and how it has been conducted,” Fulop said in a statement.
”I’ve expressed that over the last two months repeatedly both privately and publicly, and at this point, it’s clear to me that I was wrong with my early support and endorsement of Tammy Murphy for Senate,” he added.
“At this point, I don’t think it’s in the state’s best interest for Tammy to continue her campaign.”
It’s not clear how much Fulop’s change of heart influenced Murphy’s decision to kill the campaign. But it certainly didn’t help her.
Fullop is widely considered a contender to replace Gov. Phil Murphy, whose second term ends in January 2026.
Kim, a mild-mannered congressman who represents a wide swath of South Jersey, is well-known for a viral photo of him cleaning up garbage in the US Capitol after insurrectionists sacked the building on Jan. 6.
But he also made a name for himself during the recent primary campaign by filing a federal lawsuit that claimed the state practice of awarding the line to certain candidates is unconstitutional.
That lawsuit is still pending.
Menendez, for his part, has announced that he would not run in the primary as a Democrat — but his federal corruption charges might not stop him from seeking reelection as an independent.
Meanwhile, the internet cracked jokes at Murphy’s demise.
“SCOOP: Tammy Murphy has suspended her campaign for #NJSen, throwing her fan into an uproar,” Lakshya Jain, a software engineer who works on election modeling for split-ticket.org, joked in a post on X.
“Pretty good deal if you were one of those people who endorsed Tammy Murphy and got some made-up commission jobs already,” wrote X user Noah Wyhof-Rudnick, referring to the Garden State’s infamous habit of handing out no-show jobs to political supporters and donors.
In her statement, Murphy maintained that it was important for her to stand up and do something because “Washington isn’t getting it done.”
“Instead of talking about process and politics, my campaign has been about solutions for families and a vision for the next generation,” Murphy said. “New Jersey’s next senator must focus on the issues of our time and not be mired in tearing others down while dividing the people of our party and state.”
“As we face grave, dangerous threats on the national level — thanks to Donald Trump and far-right extremists — it’s time to unfit. Not divide.”
With AP wires
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