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An emerging issue in the Tammy Murphy-Andy Kim battle is the First Lady’s background as a Republican.
Asked about it at Sunday night’s debate, Murphy said it was “irrelevant,” repeating something she has said previously. That was:
“The Republican Party left me.”
Fine and good.
Then, she went further, contending that Kim’s voting record is not as spotless as his supporters believe. The First Lady pointed to votes Kim cast in the House that she said did not protect migrant children.
In fact, a release “Team Tammy” sent out during the debate claimed that:
“Andy Kim Voted With MAGA Republicans Against Stopping Kids From Being Caged At U.S. Military Bases.”
If you recall, putting “kids in cages” was a major issue for Democrats during the Trump years.
Kim did not directly address the accusation during the debate, nor in a press availability afterwards.
But he stressed his opposition to Trump, saying he first ran for Congress in 2018 in CD-3 to stop Trump and that he twice voted to impeach him.
As for Murphy’s association with Republicans, Kim said he is not satisfied with her response.
If the Republican Party “left her,” just what were the GOP values that attracted her in the first place?
Murphy brushed that aside, saying she has given much more money over the years to Democrats than Republicans. In fact, she said the first politician she ever donated to was Bill Bradley, a legendary figure for both long-time Democrats and Knick fans.
She also stressed – as she has done before – her party-building work since becoming First Lady six years ago. She spoke of improving party headquarters in Trenton and travelling the state on behalf of Democratic candidates. She said she rang a lot of doorbells.
Kim wasn’t buying it.
“I just don’t understand it,” he said of Murphy’s Republican past.
The First Lady had another response to Kim’s criticism, noting that the congressman, a one time diplomat, had worked in Republican administrations.
Kim said afterwards that this was insulting and a “sign of desperation.” He said he was a federal employee and that such employees really work for the U.S. government, not the president.
The spat over these matters may seem a bit silly, but keep in mind that both candidates agree on such major party issues as fighting climate change, protecting abortion rights and strengthening gun laws. This is common in primaries.
Still, there are a few subtle differences.
Murphy criticized Kim for not backing Medicare for all. He responded that there are a number of ways to get to universal health care and that Medicare for all may not be the most practical.
As for student debt, Kim said he was not fully supportive of the president’s attempted debt relief plan, as Murphy was. Kim said he wants to solve the problem through congressional action and not via executive order.
Foreign policy also produced general agreement on support for Ukraine and Israel, while also acknowledging a humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
So the primary is bound to turn on more personal issues – like Murphy’s political past, and even more so, her status as First Lady.
It was no surprise that in his opening statement, Kim suggested that Gov. Phil Murphy and party bosses have their thumb on the scale in trying to make the First Lady a U.S. senator.
Murphy used her opening statement to repeat a line she has used previously – the Senate needs “more ticked off moms.” She is the mother of four.
Sunday’s debate, which was hosted by the NJ Globe, On New Jersey, and the Rebovich Institute of New Jersey Politics at Rider University, was the first of the campaign. The candidates are running to replace the indicted Bob Menendez, despite the fact he has not officially bowed out of the race. His support, though, among Democrats is virtually non-existent.
The debate came eight days after the first defining moment of the campaign – the endorsement of Kim by Monmouth County Democrats on Feb.11. This was a blow to the Murphys and the party establishment.
Which brings us to more of the post-debate intrigue.
In talking to the press afterwards, Kim said that the governor is making calls and putting a “severe amount of pressure” on his wife’s behalf with Burlington County Democrats, whose convention is this coming weekend. And he said the same thing is happening elsewhere in the state.
This is politics as usual, of course, but Kim sees it as an attempt by the governor to stack the deck.
The Tammy Murphy campaign was asked in an email about Kim’s bullying allegations but is yet to respond.
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