Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-Wyckoff) and Mikie Sherrill (D-Montclair), two erstwhile endorsers of First Lady Tammy Murphy for U.S. Senate, said today that they’ll support Rep. Andy Kim (D-Moorestown) instead now that Murphy has left the race.
“I want to thank Tammy Murphy for her friendship and leadership, and for all she has done for Jersey families,” Gottheimer said. “With so much at stake in our country – from reproductive freedom to affordability to protecting our democracy – now is the time to come together as a united party. That’s why I’m proud to endorse Andy Kim and will do whatever I can to make sure Democrats up and down the state win in November.”
“I’m grateful for Tammy Murphy’s work on crucial issues like reproductive freedom and maternal health,” Sherrill said on Twitter. “I look forward to working with Andy Kim to protect our Senate Democratic majority and keep New Jersey blue.” (A more formal endorsement announcement from Sherrill is expected to come soon.)
Sherrill and Gottheimer had been two of the six New Jersey House Democrats to endorse Murphy over Kim, their own colleague; Reps. Donald Norcross (D-Camden), Frank Pallone (D-Long Branch), Bill Pascrell (D-Paterson), and Donald Payne Jr. (D-Newark) had also joined Team Murphy soon after she launched her campaign.
But with Murphy ending her campaign yesterday, Kim is now the overwhelming frontrunner for the Democratic U.S. Senate nomination, although other Democrats like Patricia Campos-Medina and Larry Hamm remain in the race as well. Gottheimer and Sherrill are among the first former Murphy backers to switch to Kim, but they almost certainly won’t be the last.