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New Jersey First Lady Tammy Murphy is suspending her campaign for Bob Menendez’s Senate seat, she announced Sunday.
“After several busy, energizing and, yes, challenging months, I am suspending my Senate campaign today,” she said. a video Posted on X. “I have been completely realistic and factual, but it is clear to me that continuing in this race would involve running a very divisive and negative campaign, which I am not willing to do.”
She added, “And with Donald Trump on the ballot and so much at stake for our country, I would not in good conscience waste resources trying to take down a fellow Democrat.”
Murphy’s decision comes just days before a judge was expected to rule on a lawsuit aimed at curbing the influence of local bigwigs on party primaries and the nomination process.
Democratic Representative Andy Kim, who is running for the Senate seat, had asked the court for a preliminary injunction to prevent him from being deported. so called party line – A ballot structure that allows county leaders to give preferential placement to their endorsed primary candidates before the June 4 primary.
But the judge in the case was concerned, and the defendants had argued that the deadline was too short to make such a change. However, with Murphy out, the urgency to address primary ballot design is gone – meaning the “line” may be in place for the upcoming primary election.
“We will continue our efforts to strengthen our democracy in New Jersey while we stand against the dangerous agenda pursued by Trump,” Kim said in a statement Sunday. The congressman praised Murphy as “a voice for progress and public service in our state,” adding, “I respect her decision to continue that work as First Lady.”
Advocates of changing the party-line system questioned Murphy’s decision.
“This sudden change of heart by Tammy Murphy on the eve of Judge (Zahid) Qureshi’s decision on the controversial New Jersey county line seems more than suspicious,” said Yael Niv, president of the Good Government Coalition of New Jersey. Jersey, said in a text message.
“New Jersey’s good government coalition – and the entire grassroots community that has been fighting for this line for years – wonders if this announcement isn’t a last-ditch effort to save the county line. It feels just like jersey. It seems the party machine that was supporting the First Lady has asked her to take one for the team,” Niv said.
Ezra Levin – co-founder and co-executive director of Indivisible, which has endorsed Kim – rejected criticism that the congressman’s campaign is focused solely on the ballot system. (In his Sunday video, Murphy said, “Instead of talking about process and politics, my campaign has been about solutions for families and a vision for the next generation.”)
“Andy Kim’s campaign wasn’t focused on ‘process.’ It was focused on democracy. Democracy matters to voters. Democrats across the country should pay attention to this,” Levin said. “Andy Kim now “On his way to becoming a unique voice in the Senate.”
Murphy, the wife of two-time Governor Phil Murphy, entered the Democratic primary in November as a first-time candidate with previous ties to GOP politics. However, his early support in the primaries suggests he could get a significant spot on the ballot – and potentially a decisive lead over Kim.
Under the party line system, party-supported candidates for various offices appear in a single, prominent column on the ballot, while those who do not receive a place on the “line” are scattered across the ballot. The election of Donald Trump in 2016 and the resulting grassroots progressive activism helped intensify resistance to the party-line system, but it began to scale back as soon as the Murphy-Kim primaries began.
Menendez, who faces bribery and obstruction of justice charges, announced Thursday he will not seek re-election in the Democratic primary, but again left open the possibility of an independent bid this summer. The senator has vehemently rejected the charges against him and said he will prove his innocence, claiming he was persecuted by prosecutors.
This story and headline have been updated.
