First Lady Tammy Murphy unveiled a formidable list of endorsements earlier today from local politicians in Monmouth County ahead of this Saturday’s county convention – but now several of those who supposedly endorsed Murphy’s Senate campaign are saying that they did no such thing.
One of the purported endorsers said Murphy’s campaign had never even called him. Murphy’s campaign, though, pushed back on the idea that its endorsement list was inaccurate, implying that anyone now saying they’re neutral has switched their story.
Steve Lozowick, the Democratic municipal chairman in Bradley Beach, was one of 15 municipal chairs included on Murphy’s endorsement list for her Senate campaign against Rep. Andy Kim (D-Moorestown). But Lozowick told the New Jersey Globe that he never discussed a potential Senate endorsement with Murphy’s campaign.
“I have no idea how I [ended up there],” Lozowick said. “I did get a call about six weeks ago from Tammy, and we never had a discussion about whether I would endorse her or not. We had a conversation, and it ended without an endorsement request.”
Kevin Starkey, the Democratic municipal chair in Brielle, said that he too hasn’t made any endorsement despite his presence on Murphy’s list.
“No one from her campaign’s ever called me,” Starkey said.
Two other alleged endorsees, Ocean Township Mayor John Napolitani and Asbury Park Councilwoman Angela Ahbez-Anderson, both said in Facebook posts today that they also haven’t made endorsements in the race, though Ahbez-Anderson has since taken her post down.
“Although I have great respect for the First Lady, I have said I will remain neutral through the convention this week,” Napolitani said. “We have great candidates running this year who all have great qualifications and will represent this state well. I wish them all the best of luck.”
A spokesperson for Murphy’s campaign defended the accuracy of the list.
“The list of endorsements released today was double and triple-checked,” Murphy spokesperson Alex Altman said. “If anyone has had a change of heart after it was released, then of course they are entitled to that.”
Joe Grillo, a former Asbury Park Democratic municipal chairman and a supporter of Murphy’s Senate candidacy, said that he thought that Kim’s backers used intimidating tactics to keep people from backing Murphy.
“They have called numerous municipal chairs and have frightened them into backtracking on their support,” Grillo said of the Kim campaign. “Now, I’ve spoken to [the chairs], and they’re still supporting Tammy Murphy, but in that moment, they got a little spooked. It’s something that I’ve now heard twice in the past 24 hours.”
Kim’s campaign, meanwhile, said that the un-endorsements are a sign of a culture of intimidation coming from Murphy’s campaign.
“Tammy Murphy and her team have threatened college students, smeared people who have endorsed Congressman Kim, and now are either assuming endorsements they have not yet earned – or worse – straight up falsifying them to help pressure others and desperately create an air of inevitability that does not exist and the people of New Jersey do not want,” Kim spokesperson Katey Sabo said.
Murphy and Kim will be facing off in five days at the Monmouth County Democratic convention, the first convention of the year. Murphy’s endorsement list was meant to be a show of force before the convention vote – but her strength in the county is seemingly weaker than she made it out to be.
Kim, meanwhile, has not released any public endorsements from Monmouth County, part of which he represents in Congress. The congressman evidently does have a base of support among Democrats in the county, though, since a straw poll of 55 county Democratic leaders back in December gave him a 29-13 lead over Murphy.
If nothing else, today’s endorsement dustup reinforces the notion that the convention – which will also feature two other Democratic candidates, Patricia Campos-Medina and Larry Hamm, but not indicted incumbent Senator Bob Menendez – is wide-open, and either Murphy or Kim could prevail. And a win in Monmouth County could be a substantial momentum-builder for the rest of the campaign, so the stakes are higher than just one county line.
Lozowick, for what it’s worth, said he still hasn’t decided who he’ll support at Saturday’s convention.
“I’m absolutely neutral,” he said. “In fact, when I go in to vote on Saturday, I’m not sure who I’m going to vote for.”