(UnitedHeadlines.com) – On March 24, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy’s wife, Tammy Murphy, officially suspended her campaign for the U.S. Senate seat held by Sen. Bob Menendez, who has been indicted on charges of bribery involving foreign governments.
Her announcement comes as Menendez announced on March 21 that he would not be seeking the Democratic nomination but could be running for his seat as an independent. Menendez continues to deny the charges against him and, in his statement, said he is hopeful he will be cleared of all charges so he can continue to pursue his candidacy. Murphy was set to face off in the Democratic primary on June 4 against New Jersey Rep. Andy Kim, first elected in 2018.
In announcing that she was suspending her campaign, Murphy said she does not want to engage in “a very divisive and negative campaign” that tears down another Democratic candidate. Murphy added that there are “enormous challenges” in New Jersey, and her campaign had focused on solutions to the challenges facing New Jersey families. She said the next New Jersey senator must remain focused on the issues, adding that now is the time to “unite and focus on the real issues at hand.”
During her announcement, Murphy also criticized former President Donald Trump, saying Democrats need to unite because Trump poses a “dangerous threat.” She added she would now focus on ensuring Democratic victories across the ballot in New Jersey and on reelecting President Joe Biden.
The announcement comes days before Judge Zahid Quraishi was set to rule on Kim’s request for a preliminary injunction on local officials’ ability to give preferential placement on a ballot to their endorsed primary candidate, which is known as the party line. The system allows party-backed candidates to appear on the ballot in a prominent, single column, and the other candidates are scattered across the ballot. However, since Murphy dropped out, the urgency to address the ballot order is gone.
Many had criticized Murphy’s campaign, saying that it appeared nepotistic since her husband is the two-term governor of New Jersey.
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