Tammy Murphy, the First Lady of New Jersey, has announced the suspension of her Senate campaign on Sunday.
In a video posted on X, she said, “After many busy, encouraging, and yes, challenging months, I am suspending my Senate campaign today.” “I have always stood for truth and honesty, but it is clear to me that continuing in this race will involve running an extremely divisive and negative campaign, which I am not willing to do.”
She further stated, “And after the toll of Donald Trump’s ballot and the stakes for our nation, I will not waste my resources tearing down a fellow Democrat with good conscience.”
Murphy’s decision came a few days after an expected ruling on a lawsuit aimed at diminishing the influence of local bigwigs on party primaries and nominations.
Democratic Republican Indie Comm, vying for the Senate seat, had asked the court for a preliminary injunction to invalidate the unnamed party line – a ballot design allowing county leaders to give preferential placement to their endorsed primary candidates – ahead of the June 4 primaries.
Yet during the case, the judge without any expression of any sympathy got worries and the defendants proclaimed that if the protocol should be changed, it is too difficult. First, with Murphy dropping out, no inevitable conclusion is reached that decision over the ballot design should be made fast – since the militant “line” could be in a good position for the primaries.
“We will continue our democratic opposition against the perilous Trumpian politics and prove to him that his efforts are futile,” said Kim in his Sunday’s statement, indicating his undeterred intentions to continue the case and defeat Trump. The Congressman stated that “Murphy is committed to progress and public service as her First Lady job.” He respected her decision as a sign of the courage of her feelings about it.
Where proponents of changing the party list system were raising questions about Murphy’s decision, some dealt with this by legitimizing his argument and offered it has merits as well.
The sudden change of heart from Tammy Murphy on the occasion of Judge (Zahid) Qureshi’s decision regarding the contentious county line in New Jersey raises more than a suspicion of suspicion. Jersey, said in a text message.
“The Good Government Coalition of New Jersey – and the broader grassroots community fighting against the line for years – is bewildered if this announcement isn’t the final effort to save the county line. It just feels very Jersey. It seems like the party machine that was backing the First Lady has told her to take one for the team,” Niv added.
Ezra Levin, co-founder and co-executive director of Indivisible, which has supported Kim, rejected the criticism that the congressman’s campaign is solely focused on the ballot system. (In her Sunday video, Murphy said, “Instead of talking about action and policy, my campaign has been about a vision for families and the next generation.”)
Indie Comm’s campaign was not focused on ‘action’. It was focused on democracy. It values the voters. Levin argued that Democrats across the country should take note. “Indie Comm is on the path to becoming a unique voice in the Senate.”
Murphy, the wife of two-term Governor Phil Murphy, entered the Democratic primary for the first time as a contender with past ties to GOP politics in November. However, her initial endorsements in the primary suggested she could get a place on the ballot – and possibly a decisive advantage for Kim.
Under the party line system, favored candidates of the party for various offices appear in a single, prominent column, while those not on the line are scattered throughout the ballot. The rise of grassroots activism against the party line system, fueled by the results of Donald Trump’s elections in 2016 and the subsequent surge in progressive activism, gained momentum, but Murphy-Kim primary preparations sparked a larger-scale campaign.
Menendez, who has faced bribery and corruption allegations, announced on Thursday that they would not participate in the Democratic primary again, but left open the possibility of rejoining the fray in the hot season. The senator strongly refuted the charges leveled against him and maintained his innocence. He claims that there are people after him who are seeking justice.
