First Lady Tammy Murphy and Rep. Andy Kim (D-Moorestown) both unveiled Mercer County endorsements today ahead of tonight’s Mercer Democratic convention, with Murphy getting the support of longtime civil rights leader Jeannine LaRue.
“Tammy will take all the experience, all the fight, all the grit, all the triumph over opposition, and bring it with her to D.C. to make real and impactful change for this country and for New Jersey,” said LaRue, the chair of the Garden State Equality Action Fund. “I have long dreamt that Tammy Murphy will be the first woman senator of the Great State of New Jersey. Now let’s make that dream a reality.”
Murphy also got endorsements from Ewing Mayor Bert Steinmann and Lawrence Mayor Patricia Farmer, the leaders of the county’s third- and fourth-largest cities.
“All the issues that matter to Lawrence residents, are the issues that Tammy Murphy champions. Whether it’s health are access better maternal health outcomes for Black and brown families, or affordability for our seniors, Tammy is there and on our side,” Farmer said.
Kim, meanwhile, received the backing of the Robbinsville Democratic Committee, the Robbinsville Democratic Club, the Hightstown Democratic Club, and Diane Sandahl, the chair of the Hopewell Valley Democratic Club.
“When Republicans attacked Obamacare, Andy Kim stood up and defeated an incumbent New Jersey Republican who’d won his last race with almost 60% of the vote,” Sandahl said. “Andy used his improbable win to show us how a prepared, courageous new Member of Congress can make a critical difference for our country. That’s why we need Andy Kim as our Senator.”
Kim, who represents a little under half of Mercer County in Congress, is considered the favorite at tonight’s convention. Thanks to a unique Mercer Democratic rule, however, any candidate who receives at least 40% of the vote will share the party line, so Murphy and Kim might come away from tonight essentially as co-victors.
See here for a full list of endorsements in New Jersey’s 2024 congressional contests.
This story was updated at 2:23 p.m. with endorsements from Steinmann and Farmer.