Several weeks ago, Democratic leaders in Monmouth County went to Tammy Murphy and Andy Kim with an offer: both U.S. Senate candidates could share the organization line and avoid a convention fight.
Kim appeared willing to consider the deal, but Murphy, confident in her ability to win the vote and with an internal count that showed her ahead, rejected it, five people speaking on the condition of anonymity confirmed to the New Jersey Globe.
The offer was extended several more times to Murphy, as well as to some of her advisors and her husband, Gov. Phil Murphy. It was repeatedly declined.
On Saturday, Kim scored a decisive 57%-39% victory, leaving the Murphy campaign out of luck and delivering a blow to her U.S. Senate bid. Now, Monday Morning quarterbacks are saying Murphy should have taken the deal.
Monmouth Democrats wanted to avoid a civil war between favorite daughter Murphy, who lives in Middletown, and Kim, who represents ten Monmouth county municipalities in Congress.
The deal did not include two other candidates: Lawrence Hamm, a civil rights leader and former Newark school board member, and activist Patricia Campos-Medina. Campos-Medina received just 4% of the vote at the Monmouth convention, while Hamm withdrew from the convention shortly before the vote was held.
But some viewed Murphy’s acceptance of the offer as potentially risky – it might have opened the door for other counties where the first lady is more likely to win to do the same thing.
“Tammy Murphy is thrilled to have earned the endorsement from Passaic County and is looking forward to continuing to engage in this process by participating in screenings, forums, and earning votes at conventions,” said Alex Altman, a spokesperson for Murphy.
Kim supports an office block ballot design, and his preference would be for every county not to award preferential ballot placement for endorsed candidates. But Kim is unlikely to let Murphy run alone in counties she wins and then share lines in his counties.