East Orange mayor, two Fort Lee councilmembers endorse Tammy Murphy

First Lady Tammy Murphy’s campaign for U.S. Senate picked up endorsements from three notable local officials in North Jersey today: East Orange Mayor Ted Green and Fort Lee Councilmen Peter Suh and Paul Yoon.

East Orange, a 69,612-person suburb of Newark, is the state’s 17th-largest municipality. Murphy is already guaranteed the county organizational line there thanks to the endorsements of top Democrats in Essex County, but Green’s backing could further shore up her support among his constituents.

“New Jersey needs bold, innovative and progressive leadership,” Green said in a statement. “Leaders who are unafraid of uncomfortable conversations. Leaders who can inspire change. Compassionate and transformative leaders who are willing to fight for what New Jerseyans need now and in the future. I fully support Tammy Murphy as the first woman to lead New Jersey in the U.S. Senate.”

The endorsements from Suh and Yoon, meanwhile, are noteworthy in part because they were the first two Korean Americans ever elected to the borough council in Fort Lee, one of the largest towns in Bergen County. Rep. Andy Kim (D-Moorestown), Murphy’s main opponent for Senate, would be the nation’s first-ever Korean American senator if elected.

“As First Lady, Tammy Murphy has been an impactful, understanding, and caring leader, singularly focused on improving the lives of people in communities all across New Jersey, including Fort Lee,” Suh and Yoon said in a joint statement. “We are proud to endorse Tammy Murphy for United States Senate, and know that she will continue to be a champion all New Jersey families can count on to defend our values, our rights, and our future.”

Already backing Murphy is the state’s only Korean American state legislator, Assemblywoman Ellen Park (D-Englewood Cliffs). Next week, Murphy and Kim will face off at the Bergen County Democratic convention, which based on endorsements should be Murphy’s for the taking but which both candidates are seriously contesting.