New Jersey’s first lady Tammy Murphy has tremendous advantages in her U.S. Senate bid, given her relationship with the state’s most powerful person. But she is behind Rep. Andy Kim in the only statewide poll conducted so far, and has lost the first three convention contests where Democratic Party members vote to endorse candidates.
It’s a stunning turn of events for Murphy’s candidacy, which appeared nearly invincible just a month ago as top Democratic Party leaders across the state had already secured endorsements from the political organizations they helm as well as preferred ballot placement in many of the counties with the most Democrats who to vote in the June primary. But the votes so far at county conventions — which will continue through March — constitute a rare, if not unprecedented, rebellion against party bosses by rank-and-file Democrats.
“Her appeal isn’t really resonating with them. She talks really in a kind of a business manner, very transactional in the sense that ‘I get things done,’” Monmouth University Poll Director Patrick Murray said. “But not an overarching vision. And I think that a lot of, particularly, the progressive activists in the party feel they get more of a sense of that from Andy Kim.”
There’s little difference between Kim and Murphy on policy. But when the race began after longtime political powerhouse Sen. Bob Menendez was charged with corruption and bribery in October and the governor’s wife began garnering support from some of the most powerful people in the party her husband leads, Kim capitalized on his appeal to Democrats who are weary of the influence held by their party’s elite.
Yet the first lady has steadfastly refused to back down from using endorsements to gain an advantage on the ballot.
“It’s going to be a campaign that’s going to focus on bossism, which has been a big feature of New Jersey politics for a long time,” said Ross K. Baker, a retired professor from Rutgers University who…
Read the full article here
Leave a Reply