First Lady of New Jersey Tammy Snyder Murphy speaks as Governor Philip D. Murphy sworn in for his second term in office as the 56th Governor of the State of New Jersey at War Memorial Building in Trenton, New Jersey, United States on January 18, 2022.
Tayfun Coskun | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
Tammy Murphy, the wife of New Jersey Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, announced Sunday that she would drop out of the state’s Democratic Senate primary contest. The winner of that June 4 election will become the favorite to replace indicted Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez.
“After many busy, invigorating, and yes, challenging months. I am suspending my Senate campaign today,” Murphy said in a Sunday post on X. “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.”
Murphy’s exit widens the path for Democratic Rep. Andy Kim to lock down his frontrunner status ahead of the primary.
Menendez confirmed last week that he would not run for a fourth term as a Democrat. He also teased a potential run for his set as an Independent.
The senator and his wife have been indicted on more than a dozen federal criminal counts, including allegations of bribery.
“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 added in her drop-out announcement.
The Murphy campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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