POLITICS
NJ First Lady Tammy Murphy Enters Senate Race To Replace Bob Menendez
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Tammy Murphy, New Jersey’s first lady, on Wednesday announced she is running for the U.S. Senate in 2024 to replace Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), who is facing charges of conspiracy to act as a foreign agent of the Egyptian government.
“Right now, Washington is filled with too many people more interested in getting rich or getting on camera than getting things done for you,” Murphy says in a campaign launch video, against a backdrop of footage of lawmakers including Menendez.
Murphy, 58, touted her accomplishments as first lady alongside Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, to reduce maternal mortality in the state and introduce climate change to school curriculums.
“Im so proud of everything weve accomplished. But I know theres a lot more to do, she said.
We need a Senator who will work every single day to lower the cost of living, protect abortion rights, end the gun violence epidemic, and defend our democracy,” Murphy said in a statement alongside the video.
Rep. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) entered the primary in September, just a day after Menendez was indicted, and more Democrats could yet enter the race.
Menendez and his wife, Nadine Menendez, along with three New Jersey businessmen, are charged with taking bribes and passing sensitive U.S. information to the Egyptian government.
Menendez and his wife were originally accused of taking bribes worth hundreds of thousands of dollars in exchange for the senator wielding his power as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, to benefit the government of Egypt, as well as enriching businessmen Wael Hana, Jose Uribe and Fred Daides.
According to the Department of Justice, Menendez and his wife accepted bribes including gold, cash, a luxury convertible, payments toward Nadine Menendez’s home mortgage, compensation for a low-or-no-show job for Nadine Menendez, home furnishings, and other items. Photos showed items seized from the Menendez home by the FBI, including gold bars and piles of cash.
Later, additional charges were filed alleging the couple conspired to have the senator act as a foreign agent of Egypt. Prosecutors revealed a photo of the couple and Hana meeting with an Egyptian government official before Menendez wielded his position to influence negotiations surrounding the construction of an Ethiopian dam on the Nile River.
Menendez has pleaded not guilty, but stepped down from his position as ranking member on the Foreign Relations Committee, according to Senate Democratic caucus rules related to felony charges. He has so far resisted calls for his resignation, and vowed to fight the charges.
TMX contributed to this article.
