TRENTON, N.J. — Tammy Murphy, First Lady of New Jersey, announced her candidacy for the U.S. Senate to represent New Jersey. Murphy, aged 58, is notably venturing into politics with a rich background in finance but no prior experience in public office.
Born on August 5, 1965, Tammy Murphy (née Snyder) hails from Virginia Beach and grew up in a Republican family. Her journey in finance began at Goldman Sachs, where she crossed paths with her future husband, Phil Murphy. The couple reconnected in London and married soon after, settling in New Jersey in 1998. Murphy remained a registered Republican until the mid-2010s.
As New Jersey’s First Lady since 2018, Murphy has actively championed causes related to maternal and infant health, aiming to improve the state’s high pregnancy-related death rate. Her initiatives include launching a financing network for female-owned startups and raising significant funds for pandemic relief.
Murphy enters the 2024 Senate race as a Democratic candidate, positioning herself against Senator Bob Menendez, who faces indictment, and another challenger, Rep. Andy Kim. Her candidacy marks a significant step towards potentially becoming the first woman elected to the Senate from New Jersey.
In the Democratic primary, she joins U.S. Rep. Andy Kim, a Rhodes scholar and former national security officer under President Barack Obama. Kim, having flipped a South Jersey seat previously held by a Republican, presents a strong challenge in the primary.
Her campaign has already garnered endorsements from four of New Jersey’s Democratic members of Congress: Reps. Frank Pallone, Donald Norcross, Bill Pascrell, and Donald Payne Jr. However, the candidacy is not without controversy, as Senator Menendez accused Phil Murphy of pushing for his resignation to facilitate Tammy Murphy’s political ascent, a claim the Murphys deny.
The race remains open with the potential for more candidates, including U.S. Reps. Donald Norcross, Josh Gottheimer, and Frank Pallone Jr., alongside former Newark school board member Lawrence Hamm and Patricia Campos-Medina of the Worker Institute at Cornell University.
The candidacy of Tammy Murphy, melding her finance background and advocacy as First Lady, introduces a new dynamic to New Jersey politics, particularly in the context of a potentially historic Senate election.