Gov. Murphy: no appointment for wife to U.S. Senate if Menendez quits

First Lady Tammy Murphy is not likely to be appointed to the U.S. Senate if Bob Menendez resigns, her husband, Gov. Phil Murphy, said tonight.

“I don’t see any scenario where that would be the case,” Murphy said during an “Ask Governor Murphy” appearance on WHYY, WBGO, and WNYC.

Tammy Murphy is actively considering a bid for the Democratic Senate nomination in 2024, either in a primary against Menendez or for an open seat.

Menendez was indicted on federal bribery and conspiracy charges on September 22.  He has steadfastly maintained his innocence and rejected calls for his resignation by Gov. Murphy and most of the state’s Democratic leadership.

“I am not going anywhere,” he said.

Rep. Andy Kim (D-Moorestown) announced his candidacy for the Senate seat on September 23.  He could face Tammy Murphy in the Democratic primary.

Several Democratic leaders have cautioned the governor that an anointment of his wife could backfire with voters and make it more difficult to win the nomination for a six-year term, the New Jersey Globe has confirmed.  Menendez, re-elected to a third term in 2018, is up for re-election next year.

If Menendez does resign, Phil Murphy will appoint a Democrat to fill the remainder of his current term, which expires on January 3, 2025.

Caretakers have filled New Jersey’s two of the last three U.S. Senate vacancies: Gov. Thomas Kean named Nicholas Brady, a Wall Street executive, in 1982 after Harrison Wiliams resigned following his conviction in the Abscam scandal; and Gov. Chris Christie sent his attorney general, Jeff Chiesa, to the Senate for four months following the death of Frank Lautenberg in 2013.  The third vacancy occurred in 2006 when Jon Corzine resigned from the U.S. Senate to become governor; Corzine appointed Menendez as his replacement.