New Jersey’s first lady Tammy Murphy is ending her Senate campaign, cutting short what was shaping up to be a protracted Democratic primary against Rep. Andy Kim.
Murphy announced her decision in a video posted Sunday on X, formerly known as Twitter.
She said she was ending her bid “after many busy, invigorating and, yes, challenging months.”
“I have been genuine and factual throughout, but it is clear to me that continuing in this race will involve waging a very divisive and negative campaign — which I am not willing to do,” she continued, going on to urge party unity ahead of the general election without explicitly endorsing Kim, who is now the front-runner for the Democratic nomination.
Already, she and Kim had traded barbs over who could best represent New Jerseyans and the quirky nature of the state’s nominating process.
“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 said in her video.
“I know the best thing we can do for New Jersey is to unite and focus on the real issues at hand,” she said.
Her departure largely clears the way for Kim, who is now expected to be the favorite in November, given New Jersey’s voting history.
Incumbent Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez, who has been dogged by criminal indictments that he denies, announced last week that he won’t run in the Democratic primary but could explore an independent reelection bid should he be cleared of wrongdoing.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.