First lady Tammy Murphy of New Jersey declared on Wednesday morning that she would begin a primary campaign to run against Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez, who has been charged with a crime, in the 2024 election.
Murphy draws on policies she has supported as first lady, such as lowering maternal and infant mortality and requiring the state to incorporate climate change into its curricula, in an online campaign launch video.
In a statement that accompanied the film, Murphy stated, “We need a Senator who will work every single day to lower the cost of living, protect abortion rights, end the gun violence epidemic, and defend our democracy.”
Menendez, who was indicted on federal bribery allegations in September, is not specifically mentioned in the video. He did make a brief voiceover video appearance with Murphy narrating: “Too many people in Washington right now are more concerned with becoming famous or wealthy than they are with getting things done for you.”
Murphy has never served public office, and her background as a Republican up until the mid-2010s may come as a criticism given the absence of a conventional political resume.
She would be the first female senatorial representative from New Jersey if she is elected.
In what might end up being an even more crowded June Democratic primary in the deep blue state, Murphy teams up with Rep. Andy Kim, a three-term member of the House and a former national security advisor to President Obama.
Even though over thirty Democratic senators, Murphy’s husband, Governor Phil Murphy, and other party leaders have called for Menedez’s resignation, he has consistently stated that he plans to fight the charges against him and run for reelection.
Phil Murphy, a former executive at Goldman Sachs, and his family are multimillionaires. They reported about $5 million in income in 2021, while he was in office, according to a summary of their tax forms made public by his office. His own money, twenty million dollars, went into his 2017 gubernatorial campaign.
Source: NBCNEWS