Elect Democratic Women, a national PAC that supports pro-choice Democratic women running for Congress, has endorsed Assembly Majority Whip Carol Murphy (D-Mount Laurel) in New Jersey’s 3rd district.
Murphy is seeking to replace Rep. Andy Kim (D-Moorestown), who is giving up his seat to run for U.S. Senate.
The group is run by six Democratic congresswomen, including the chair, Rep. Lois Frankel (D-Florida).
“Carol has championed efforts to codify abortion rights into the state constitution, invest in women’s health care, and lower costs. She understands the issues important to women and their families and we are confident that she will continue to advocate for those issues and her community in Congress,” Frankel said.
It’s not immediately clear how much the PAC intends to spend on Murphy, or whether they’ll make an independent expenditure.
“During my time in the Assembly, I have been an advocate for future generations as we face threats to reproductive freedoms, rising costs for families, and the effects of climate change,” Murphy said. “We need more members of Congress to represent the true values of the American people, and this is exactly what I aim to do in representing New Jersey’s 3rd Congressional District.”
Two of the five Democrats seeking Kim’s seat are women: Murphy and Sarah Schoengood.
Since Mary T. Norton (D-Jersey City) won a Hudson County-based congressional seat in 1924, New Jersey has only sent seven women in total to the U.S. House of Representatives.
New Jersey now has two women in their delegation, Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Ewing) and Mikie Sherrill (D-Montclair). But that number could jump to five if women win races in the 3rd, 7th and 10th districts.