Senator Tammy Murphy?
Wife of term-limited NJ governor may run for US Senate
Over the years, Tammy Snyder Murphy has worn many hats. As the Bob Menendez scandal circus pitches tent, We Are New Jersey is not at all surprised to see reports circulating that NJ's First Lady is considering throwing hers into the 2024 US Senate race. Despite the fact that she does not hold elected office, she's had significant involvement in orchestrating policy initiatives and public-private partnerships on behalf of her husband’s gubernatorial administration.
But who is Tammy Murphy? Her public persona is varied. Some might remember her as the woman in the red dress standing by demurely while Phil took the NJ governor’s oath of office in 2018. Others may call to mind her notable appearance in a bunny costume during a 2020 Easter address from their Middletown home. In conspiratorial circles, Tammy has been regarded as Phil Murphy’s handler - the real power player in the political power couple. Most recently, she shared a photo of herself giving a salute while donning a hot pink satin pant suit à la Barbie mania…
Tammy Murphy Fast Facts:
📍She grew up in Virginia where her father (deceased, 2018) founded and operated a large automobile import dealership with several franchise locations.
📍Tammy had a successful career with Goldman Sachs and has extensive private sector experience, including nonprofit and charitable organization leadership.
📍Maternal and infant health is her key policy issue.
📍As NJ First Lady she serves as the President of the Drumthwacket Foundation, a 501c3 non-partisan non-profit organization which maintains the NJ governor's mansion and spreads "civic understanding."
📍Tammy is the founding chair of the New Jersey Pandemic Relief Fund.
Is his wife’s potential US Senate candidacy being floated as an enticement to keep NJ Gov. Phil Murphy relevant on the national map as his second term winds down? Tammy has the ‘standard credentials’ on paper, but how does that square with her sometimes bizarre real-life presentation? In identity politics the “woman card” is theoretically worth a lot, but her personal background has some elitist tendencies that could be snagged by the “intersectionality” matrix. Does she truly have what it takes to cultivate a broad support base in diverse and increasingly divided New Jersey?
Presidential politics aside, it is debatable whether a Tammy Murphy for US Senate candidacy would help or hurt the re-election efforts of NJ’s junior senator, Cory Booker, and members of the US House of Representatives. With so many names being tossed around for a still-occupied elected office, Sen. Menendez has given no indication about future campaign plans, simply stating that he “isn’t going anywhere.” For now, the clown show continues and it’s anybody’s guess who will assume office in January 2025 as US senators from the State of New Jersey .