New Jersey’s political scene is heating up, and the drama is anything but middle school—though it certainly has its share of intrigue! Governor Phil Murphy has once again avoided explicitly endorsing Rep. Andy Kim, the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate, despite insisting that he will support the entire Democratic ticket in the upcoming November election.
This isn’t just any election. Andy Kim’s recent victory in the Democratic primary was a particularly personal one for the Murphy household, as he defeated none other than First Lady Tammy Murphy to secure the nomination. Since then, all eyes have been on Governor Murphy, wondering if he’d publicly rally behind Kim. So far, though, Murphy’s words have been carefully chosen, praising both Kim and his Republican opponent, Curtis Bashaw, as “very good candidates.”
When pressed on his stance, Murphy has been quick to dismiss any talk of friction, insisting that there’s no drama between him and Kim. But his reluctance to name-drop Kim in endorsements has raised eyebrows across the political spectrum.
“A lot of the press, and I’m not accusing anybody of this, would imply that there’s sort of some middle school drama between me and Andy Kim, which is just not true,” Murphy said
While Murphy has been walking this fine line, other New Jersey Democrats have been more direct. Rep. Donald Norcross, for example, made it clear at a labor breakfast that there’s no ambiguity on his end: “He is the Democratic candidate for Senate and he will be our next senator, let’s be clear about it.”
The stakes are high as Kim vies for the Senate seat once held by Bob Menendez, who resigned amid federal bribery and conspiracy charges. Murphy filled the vacancy with George Helmy, his former chief of staff, but all eyes are now on the November election, where Kim and Bashaw will face off in what promises to be a closely watched race.
With Murphy balancing personal ties and political loyalties, the coming weeks could see even more headlines about who’s backing whom in this high-stakes election.