New Jersey First Lady Tammy Snyder Murphy speaks as Governor Philip D. Murphy was sworn in for his second term as the 56th Governor of the State of New Jersey at the War Memorial Building in Trenton, New Jersey, United States -United States, January 18, 2022.
Tayfun Coskun | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
Tammy Murphy, the wife of New Jersey Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, announced Sunday that she will withdraw from the state’s Democratic Senate primary. The winner of the June 4 election will become the favorite to replace indicted Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez.
“After many busy, invigorating and, yes, difficult months. I am suspending my Senate campaign today,” Murphy said in a speech Sunday. job on X. “It is clear to me that continuing in this race will involve running a very divisive and negative campaign, which I am not prepared to do.”
Murphy’s exit widens the path for Democratic Rep. Andy Kim to secure his front-runner status heading into the primary.
Menendez confirmed last week that he would not seek a fourth term as a Democrat. He also discussed a possible candidacy for his position as an independent.
The senator and his wife have been indicted on more than a dozen federal criminal charges, including corruption allegations. Prosecutors say Menendez provided sensitive information to the Egyptian government, trading his political influence for hundreds of thousands of dollars in gifts, including gold bars and a Mercedes-Benz convertible.
“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,” Murphy, a former Republican voter, added in her election announcement. withdrawal.
In June, Kim, who spear his campaign, the day after Menendez’s indictment, will face several long-shot challengers, including progressive activists Larry Hamm and Patricia Campos-Medina.
Kim has so far been the Democratic frontrunner, steadily outpacing Murphy in the polls, especially as she lost several county-level convention endorsements, including her home turf of Monmouth County.
Last Monday, Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop rescinded his endorsement of Murphy and switched it to Kim.
“It’s not always comfortable to admit a mistake, but I clearly made one here and this convention season has demonstrated that (Kim) is the best candidate to represent New Jersey,” Fulop wrote in a communicated. job on X.
The Murphy campaign declined to provide further comment.
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