Tammy Murphy
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Tammy Murphy ( ''née'' Snyder; born August 5, 1965) is an American political figure and activist who has been the first lady of
New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
since 2018. A member of the Democratic Party, she was an unsuccessful candidate in the
2024 United States Senate election in New Jersey The 2024 United States Senate election in New Jersey was held on November 5, 2024, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the state of New Jersey. Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Congressman Andy Kim (politician ...
to replace
Bob Menendez Robert Menendez (; born January 1, 1954) is an American former politician and lawyer who represented New Jersey in the United States Senate from 2006 until his resignation in 2024. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic ...
. She co-owns the professional women's soccer team
Gotham FC Gotham Football Club is an American professional Association football, soccer team based in the New York metropolitan area that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Founded in 2006 as Jersey Sky Blue, the team was known as Sk ...
with her husband, New Jersey governor
Phil Murphy Philip Dunton Murphy (born August 16, 1957) is an American politician, diplomat, and financier serving as the 56th governor of New Jersey since 2018. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he was elected governor i ...
, and chairs the organization.


Early life and education

Tammy Murphy was born Tammy Snyder in
Virginia Beach, Virginia Virginia Beach (colloquially VB) is the most populous city in the U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. The city is located on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay in southeastern Virginia. It is the sixth-most populous city in the ...
. Her father, Edward, and mother, Jean, a British immigrant and former fashion model, owned what ''
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
'' magazine described as an "empire" of
car dealership A car dealership, or car dealer, is a business that sells new or used cars, at the retail level, based on a dealership contract with an automaker or its sales subsidiary. Car dealerships also often sell spare parts and automotive maintena ...
s. Edward Snyder was Jewish. Murphy attended boarding school
Phillips Academy Andover Phillips Academy (also known as PA, Phillips Academy Andover, or simply Andover) is a Private school, private, Mixed-sex education, co-educational college-preparatory school for Boarding school, boarding and Day school, day students located in ...
, graduating in 1983, then the
University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...
, graduating in 1987 with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and English.


Career in finance (1987–1994)

After graduating college, Murphy went to work in finance as an analyst for
Goldman Sachs The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational investment bank and financial services company. Founded in 1869, Goldman Sachs is headquartered in Lower Manhattan in New York City, with regional headquarters in many internationa ...
in the real estate department from 1987 to 1989. She left Goldman at the age of 24 to work mainly at
Investcorp Investcorp is a global manager of alternative investment products, for private and institutional clients. Founded in Bahrain in 1982, the firm has offices in United States, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, India, China, ...
in London for three years, from 1990 to 1993, but quit at the age of 27 "to marry Mr. Murphy in 1994 and move to
Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...
, Germany, where he was working at the time." She has not "worked outside the home" since marrying. As of 2023, Murphy "describes herself as a homemaker on tax forms."


Part ownership of Gotham FC

Murphy and her husband are the founders and part owners of
Gotham FC Gotham Football Club is an American professional Association football, soccer team based in the New York metropolitan area that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Founded in 2006 as Jersey Sky Blue, the team was known as Sk ...
, a professional women's soccer team. They founded the team in 2007. Murphy serves as the club's chair. In 2018, media outlets reported that the team was "plagued by poor housing, subpar facilities, and mismanagement.""Life on N.J. pro soccer club owned by Gov. Murphy is sad and bleak, players allege"
NJ.com. Published July 17, 2018.
In 2024, ''
Politico ''Politico'' (stylized in all caps), known originally as ''The Politico'', is an American political digital newspaper company founded by American banker and media executive Robert Allbritton in 2007. It covers politics and policy in the Unit ...
'' reported that Murphy had been criticized for how, "the women's soccer team she and her husband co-own, Gotham FC, was found ..to have provided poor living and playing conditions, prompting Murphy to become more hands-on with the club." Responding to the women's soccer team allegations, Murphy said that she and her husband were unaware of the players' conditions and allegations of abuse. After she became aware of the report detailing these allegations, Murphy "took a more active role in the team, renaming it Gotham FC and moving the players to Red Bull Arena in
Harrison Harrison may refer to: People * Harrison (name) * Harrison family of Virginia, United States Places Australia * Harrison, Australian Capital Territory, suburb in the Canberra district of Gungahlin Canada * Inukjuak, Quebec, or "Port H ...
commencing a turnaround that culminated in last season's
National Women's Soccer League The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) is a women's professional Association football, soccer league and the highest level of the United States soccer league system#Women's leagues, United States soccer league system (alongside the USL Supe ...
(NWSL) championship."


Nonprofit and private school work

Murphy has sat on the boards of her children's schools, the private
Rumson Country Day School Founded in 1926, the Rumson Country Day School is a coeducational, nonsectarian independent day school located on a campus in Rumson, New Jersey, specializing in educating boys and girls from nursery (age three) through eighth grade. The Rumson C ...
and the boarding school
Phillips Andover Phillips Academy (also known as PA, Phillips Academy Andover, or simply Andover) is a Private school, private, Mixed-sex education, co-educational college-preparatory school for Boarding school, boarding and Day school, day students located in ...
, as well as on that of the Count Basie Center for the Arts, among others. While her husband was working as the United States ambassador to Germany from 2009 through 2013, Murphy, according to her biography, chaired meetings, gave speeches, and hosted meals and receptions to help further develop the German-American relationship. Murphy was appointed to the University of Virginia Board of Visitors in 2015. In 2014, in the run-up to Phil Murphy's campaign launch, she and her husband founded New Start New Jersey, a
think tank A think tank, or public policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governme ...
to help "grow the middle class and jumpstart the economy in the state" that she chaired. It ceased operations in 2017 following his election and no longer maintains its research information.


Early political activities

Murphy grew up in a Republican family and continued to vote as a registered Republican in primary elections until 2014. She donated to
George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...
's presidential campaigns in 2000 and 2004, as well as to
Rick Lazio Enrico Anthony Lazio (; born March 13, 1958) is an American attorney and former four-term United States House of Representatives, U.S. Representative from the State of New York. A Long Island native, Lazio became well-known during his bid for Uni ...
's Senate campaign against
Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...
in 2000. Murphy has given to more than 300 candidates and committees since 2000, including Bush,
Lazio Lazio ( , ; ) or Latium ( , ; from Latium, the original Latin name, ) is one of the 20 Regions of Italy, administrative regions of Italy. Situated in the Central Italy, central peninsular section of the country, it has 5,714,882 inhabitants an ...
, and the
New Jersey Republican Party The New Jersey Republican Party (NJGOP) is the affiliate of the United States Republican Party in New Jersey. It was founded in 1880 and is currently led by Bob Hugin. Current leadership * Bob Hugin, Chairman * Darlene Shotmeyer, Vice Chai ...
. She has also made donations to Democratic candidates, including
Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American former politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. He previously served as ...
, Hillary Clinton, and Bob Torricelli. ''
Politico ''Politico'' (stylized in all caps), known originally as ''The Politico'', is an American political digital newspaper company founded by American banker and media executive Robert Allbritton in 2007. It covers politics and policy in the Unit ...
'' and ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' have described Tammy Murphy as a "prolific fundraiser" for party leaders in the Democratic Party. Sources differ as to when Murphy became a Democrat. At a televised debate on February 18, 2024, Murphy stated she has been a Democrat "for ten years." Previously, Murphy, notwithstanding her primary voting record up to 2014 as a Republican, stated that she changed political parties in the mid-2000s based on her stances on issues such as abortion, gun control, and the environment. At a candidate forum at the
County College of Morris A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) ''Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denotin ...
in January 2024, she addressed the fact that she was previously a registered Republican due to her upbringing in a "moderately conservative" small-business family in Virginia and was always seeking GOP candidates who shared her values in education, the environment, and reproductive freedoms. "But over the years, I ran out of room," she said. "I realized I was a Democrat." Her husband, Phil Murphy, became the
Democratic National Committee The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the principal executive leadership board of the United States's Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party. According to the party charter, it has "general responsibility for the affairs of the ...
's finance chair in 2006 and U.S. Ambassador to Germany in 2009. Following a large donation by the Murphys,
Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American former politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. He previously served as ...
recruited her to be a founding member of the environmental group
The Climate Reality Project The Climate Reality Project is a non-profit organization involved in education and advocacy related to climate change. The Climate Reality Project came into being in July 2011 as the consolidation of two environmental groups, the Alliance for Cli ...
. Al Gore has called Tammy Murphy "one of the smartest, most articulate, most committed environmental advocates that I've ever run across." Murphy served as one of New Jersey's 14 presidential electors for
Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
in the 2020 presidential election.


Work on husband's 2017 gubernatorial campaign

Murphy was active in her husband's 2017 campaign for
Governor of New Jersey The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The ...
. Phil called her his ''de facto'' finance chair." Murphy chaired their "issue advocacy" committee, New Start New Jersey and Phil spent $20 million on his campaign. She also participated in campaign events with and without her husband. Phil Murphy was elected governor on November 7, 2017, and sworn into office on January 16, 2018. A November 2023 ''Politico'' report discussed how multiple women accused Phil Murphy's 2017 campaign, which Tammy Murphy helped run, of being a "toxic" environment for women, including campaign strategist Julie Roginsky and campaign volunteer Katie Brennan. A young woman, Julia Fahl, the future mayor of
Lambertville, New Jersey Lambertville is a city (New Jersey), city within Hunterdon County, New Jersey, Hunterdon County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 4,139, an increase of 233 (+6.0%) from the 3,906 reco ...
, was in the room when an angry male staffer threw a chair; Fahl subsequently referred to the campaign in a statement as "toxic." Roginsky claimed the campaign was the most "toxic" and "misogyny"-filled working environment she had ever experienced, that multiple female staffers complained of misogyny to her, that she was unable to speak out due to a gag order, and that at least one misogynistic slur was shouted at her by a top campaign advisor (a different advisor from the man accused in the Fahl incident). Katie Brennan claimed that a third top campaign staffer had
sexually assaulted Sexual assault is an act of sexual abuse in which one intentionally sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their will. It is a form of sexua ...
her, also claiming that she had attempted to tell both Tammy and Phil Murphy, but received no response. A fourth woman who worked on the Murphy transition team also complained of misogyny and stated she experienced a lack of support and immediate retaliatory ostracization, forcing her to quit. In December 2023, Brennan, then an aide to Governor Hochul, criticized Murphy's failure to act in response to her entreaties. Murphy said that she and her husband were not aware of the allegations until ''The Wall Street Journal'' contacted them. In 2024, Murphy told a reporter in response to Brennan's criticisms, "I apologize to her. I feel badly for her because also/nowiki> was sexually assaulted. I had to go to court, and I know exactly how that feels. I get it. Again, though, we are forward-looking, and we pick up the pieces and figure out how to make 1,000 percent certain that we never are replicating something that's hurtful or in any way disrespectful." Murphy had previously spoken about her own experience with having been sexually assaulted in a speech during the
2018 Women's March The 2018 Women's March was a global protest that occurred on January 20, 2018, on the anniversary of the 2017 Women's March. About In 2018, women's groups across the United States coordinated mass rallies, attracting hundreds of thousands of ...
.


First Lady of New Jersey (2018–present)

Although she does not receive a salary or hold an official title, Tammy Murphy has acted on a policy portfolio in an unelected capacity. The governor made Murphy the first spouse of a New Jersey Governor to give her own speech at the inauguration. Governor Murphy additionally gave her an office, down the hall from his. Notwithstanding the lack of an official role for first spouse in New Jersey, Governor Murphy has listed his wife on the Office of the Governor's official government website as a member of his administration. The governor has also directed at least one member of his staff to report to Murphy as her chief of staff. NJ.com reported that Tammy Murphy "held a central role" in Governor Murphy's administration, citing anonymous state lawmakers and other political figures who have worked directly with the governor's office.


Maternal advocacy work as First Lady of New Jersey

Murphy is known in the state for advocating on behalf of pregnant and postpartum women and their infants. Governor Murphy has named his wife the "founder" of a state-funded entity for maternal health known as Nurture NJ. In 2021, Governor Phil Murphy signed legislation to launch a statewide, universal home visitation program for newborns. This legislation was a "key recommendation" from the Nurture NJ Maternal and Infant Health's Strategic Plan. The governor touted the effectiveness of Murphy's efforts in making New Jersey the second state in the nation to expand Medicaid coverage for women a full year after childbirth, which guaranteed health care for nearly 9,000 mothers across the state. At her U.S. Senate campaign launch, Murphy discussed her initiatives (such as founding, through her personal access to the governor, Nurture NJ) that targeted New Jersey's high
maternal mortality Maternal death or maternal mortality is defined in slightly different ways by several different health organizations. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines maternal death as the death of a pregnant mother due to complications related to p ...
rate, especially among minority women. She noted New Jersey's raise from national rankings on maternal death rates. The ''
Star-Ledger ''The Star-Ledger'' was the largest circulation newspaper in New Jersey. It is based in Newark, New Jersey. The newspaper ceased print publication on February 2, 2025, but continues to publish a digital edition. In 2007, ''The Star-Ledger''s ...
'' editorial board in July 2023 praised, "Tammy Murphy's good work on the maternal health crisis." In December 2023, however, the same editorial board disagreed with Murphy's assertion that New Jersey's maternal mortality rate (and its racial disparities) had seen improvement because of her efforts: "Neither claim is true. We are making slow progress in some areas, and none in others, still lagging behind neighboring states and the nation as a whole on maternal mortality. As for the racial gap, it is as profound as ever." The ''Ledger'' also considered Murphy's claim that her initiatives had improved New Jersey's ranking on maternal death misleading, arguing that the change in ranking was more due to worsening outcomes in other states and not a decline in maternal mortality in New Jersey. The editorial also asserted that, while Murphy had made herself a "sturdy advocate" for maternal health, "there is some resentment in the Black community from leaders and advocates who feel pushed aside by the governor's wife, and sometimes ignored," including some Black lawmakers in the state, as well as qualified public health professionals in the field more generally. According to the ''
New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', Murphy was named in a gender discrimination lawsuit by four female troopers against the
State Police State police, provincial police or regional police are a type of sub-national territorial police force found in nations organized as federations, typically in North America, South Asia, and Oceania. These forces typically have jurisdiction o ...
for allegedly refusing to allow a trooper on the Murphy detail to pump breast milk in a
carriage house A ''carriage house'', also called a ''remise'' or ''coach house'', is a term used in North America to describe an outbuilding that was originally built to house horse-drawn carriages and their related tack. Carriage houses were often two ...
at the family's $10 million estate in Middletown. The trooper alleged that she had requested permission to pump there given the allegedly dirty status of the security trailer. Allegedly, the first lady refused, saying such use was "not encouraged because of optics by guests who may be on the premises." The trooper alleged she was fired the next day from the coveted executive detail in retaliation (her second day of work after returning from maternity leave). When asked about the lawsuit in an interview, Murphy stated that she could not comment fully on the litigation though it was not filed against her or her husband, stating "Anybody who should imply that I would be in any way, shape, or form discriminatory or not allow a woman to have all the benefits she needs after having delivered a baby or during pregnancy — it's flat-out wrong."


Climate work as first lady

In 2021, during her husband's term, Murphy was appointed Honorary Chair of the New Jersey Council on the Green Economy. Murphy was influential in global warming/
climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...
becoming part of school curriculum in New Jersey, making it the first and only state to do so.


Other New Jersey advocacy as first lady

Despite her unelected status, Murphy engaged in brokering political deals, including on energy legislation, appropriations for higher education, and the naming of a highway rest area. Through her access to the governor, according to a press release, Murphy partnered with the
New Jersey Economic Development Authority The New Jersey Economic Development Authority (EDA) is an independent government entity in the U.S. state of New Jersey dedicated to broadening and expanding the state's economic base. The EDA creates public-private partnerships to provide acce ...
(NJDEA) to establish a chapter of Golden Seeds, an
angel investor An angel investor (also known as a business angel, informal investor, angel funder, private investor, or seed investor) is an individual who provides capital to a business or businesses, including startups, usually in exchange for convertible de ...
firm investing in women-led businesses, in New Jersey.


2024 Senate campaign

On November 15, 2023, Murphy announced her candidacy in the
2024 United States Senate election in New Jersey The 2024 United States Senate election in New Jersey was held on November 5, 2024, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the state of New Jersey. Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Congressman Andy Kim (politician ...
against incumbent
Bob Menendez Robert Menendez (; born January 1, 1954) is an American former politician and lawyer who represented New Jersey in the United States Senate from 2006 until his resignation in 2024. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic ...
and Democratic U.S. House Representative
Andy Kim Andrew Kim (born July12, 1982) is an American politician and former diplomat serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States senator from New Jersey since 2024. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democ ...
. It was her first time running for political office. Murphy's campaign priorities included abortion rights, voting rights, and gun safety. If elected, Murphy would have been the first woman to represent New Jersey in the Senate. ''New York'' opined during Murphy's campaign that her campaign would benefit from her unelected position as first lady, writing, "Murphy can win by behaving like an incumbent, leveraging the possibility of access to officials, programs, and funds." Murphy had in the past been the chair of a
dark money In politics, particularly the politics of the United States, dark money refers to spending to influence elections, public policy, and political discourse, where the source of the money is not disclosed to the public. In the United States, ...
organization called Stronger Fairer Forward to promote the governor's record. Following Murphy's Senate announcement, media and campaign opponents pointed out that Murphy had run this organization and had declined to disclose its donors. In February 2024, Murphy released a campaign ad filmed in front of
National Rifle Association The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) is a gun rights advocacy group based in the United States. Founded in 1871 to advance rifle marksmanship, the modern NRA has become a prominent Gun politics in the United States, gun rights ...
headquarters in which she pledged to support various
gun control Gun control, or firearms regulation, is the set of laws or policies that regulate the manufacture, sale, transfer, possession, modification, or use of firearms and ammunition by civilians. Most countries allow civilians to own firearms, bu ...
measures; the Kim campaign then criticized Murphy for donations she had made to the Bush-Cheney 2004 campaign (which had advocated lawsuit immunity for gun manufacturers; Bush signed that immunity into law in 2005). Kim also criticized Murphy for continuing to vote for anti-gun-safety Republican candidates following the
Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting On December 14, 2012, a mass shooting occurred at Newtown Public Schools, Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, United States. The perpetrator, 20-year-old Adam Lanza, shot and killed 26 people. The victims were 20 children bet ...
in 2012, which killed 28 children and educators. Early in the campaign, ''
The Daily Beast ''The Daily Beast'' is an American news website focused on politics, media, and pop culture. Founded in 2008, the website is owned by IAC Inc. It has been characterized as a "high-end tabloid" by Noah Shachtman, the site's editor-in-chief ...
'' reported that Phil and Tammy Murphy's
blind trust A blind trust is a trust in which the beneficiaries have no knowledge of the holdings of the trust, and no right to intervene in their handling. In a blind trust, the trustees ( fiduciaries, or those who have been given power of attorney) have f ...
was managed by her brother, Steve Snyder. The publication consulted Gary Altman, a D.C. attorney, who opined that "a blind trust guided by a family member ... won't fly in D.C., sthe federal
Ethics in Government Act The Ethics in Government Act of 1978 is a United States federal law that was passed in the wake of the Nixon Watergate scandal and the Saturday Night Massacre. It was intended to fight corruption in government. Summary The Ethics in Governmen ...
... does not allow a family member to steer an elected official's
rust Rust is an iron oxide, a usually reddish-brown oxide formed by the reaction of iron and oxygen in the catalytic presence of water or air moisture. Rust consists of hydrous iron(III) oxides (Fe2O3·nH2O) and iron(III) oxide-hydroxide (FeO(OH) ...
" elaborating that "the real-world logic of that is: if your brother is controlling your money, ho would believehe's not going to tell you how he's investing it?" A Murphy spokesperson responded that "the blind trust ... assures the public that the Governor's decisions are based solely on the public benefit" and "Gov. Murphy and First Lady Tammy Murphy worked with the New Jersey State Ethics Commission to set up a voluntary blind trust that complies with the rules that govern New Jersey elected officials ... sshe believes strongly in transparency ndaccountability."


Endorsements and allegations of nepotism

On November 17, 2023, two days after she announced her candidacy, New Jersey congressman
Josh Gottheimer Joshua S. Gottheimer ( ; born March 8, 1975) is an American politician, attorney, writer, and public policy adviser who has served as the U.S. representative for since 2017. The district stretches along the northern border of the state from Ne ...
endorsed Murphy. Within the following week, Murphy was endorsed by four additional New Jersey Democratic congresspeople — Reps.
Frank Pallone Frank Joseph Pallone Jr. ( ; born October 30, 1951) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 1988. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district, numbered as the 3rd district from 1988 to 1993, ...
,
Donald Norcross Donald W. Norcross (born December 13, 1958) is an American politician and labor leader who is the U.S. representative for in South Jersey. A member of the Democratic Party, Norcross was first elected to this congressional seat in 2014, followi ...
,
Bill Pascrell William James Pascrell Jr. (January 25, 1937 – August 21, 2024) was an American politician who was a U.S. representative from New Jersey from 1997 until his death in 2024. Pascrell was a member of the Democratic Party and a native of Paterson ...
, and
Donald Payne Jr Donald Milford Payne Jr. (December 17, 1958 – April 24, 2024) was an American politician who was the U.S. representative for from 2012 until his death in 2024. A member of the Democratic Party, Payne served as president of the Newark city co ...
. Media reported on the significance of support from county-level Democratic leadership in the eventual primary. It has been noted that that primary election ballots in all but two New Jersey counties place candidates endorsed by the county's party organization in the
county line Borders are generally defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders ...
column of the ballot. On the subject of these Congressional endorsements and the relevance of the so-called county bosses and county machines in the state, ''
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
'' opined:
The ounty line column/nowiki> is so powerful it can subvert ordinary political hierarchies, such that veteran lawmakers become slavishly indebted to little-known county hacks. When ''
The Daily Beast ''The Daily Beast'' is an American news website focused on politics, media, and pop culture. Founded in 2008, the website is owned by IAC Inc. It has been characterized as a "high-end tabloid" by Noah Shachtman, the site's editor-in-chief ...
'' asked
Bill Pascrell William James Pascrell Jr. (January 25, 1937 – August 21, 2024) was an American politician who was a U.S. representative from New Jersey from 1997 until his death in 2024. Pascrell was a member of the Democratic Party and a native of Paterson ...
why he endorsed Murphy, the 87-year-old U.S. congressman replied, "Do I fight my county chairman?"
On December 22, ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' wrote, "No New Jersey legislative incumbent chosen to run on the county line in all of the counties he or she represented has lost a primary election since 2009," suggesting the advantage of, within the first three days of her candidacy, "Ms. Murphy, a first-time candidate with limited experience, ha
ing Ing, ING or ing may refer to: Art and media * '' ...ing'', a 2003 Korean film * i.n.g, a Taiwanese girl group * The Ing, a race of dark creatures in the 2004 video game '' Metroid Prime 2: Echoes'' * "Ing", the first song on The Roches' 199 ...
lined up backing from Democratic leaders in one-third of the state's counties, representing 56 percent of New Jersey's registered Democratic voters." In the same article, ''The Times'' criticized the county line system itself as a form of "
voter suppression Voter suppression is the discouragement or prevention of specific groups of people from voting or registering to vote. It is distinguished from political campaigning in that campaigning attempts to change likely voting behavior by changing the o ...
", and called Murphy's leveraging of it
nepotistic Nepotism is the act of granting an advantage, privilege, or position to relatives in an occupation or field. These fields can include business, politics, academia, entertainment, sports, religion or health care. In concept it is similar to cr ...
, as "six of the seven county leaders who endorsed Ms. Murphy within three days of her entry in the race also have financial incentives to please the governor." A spokeswoman for the Murphy campaign, meanwhile, defended the endorsements, saying, "the first lady was working within the system that exists," and that, "The early endorsements were the result of 'deep relationships she has built' and 'her record'." On December 21, 2023, the New Jersey state senate president and Union County Democratic chairman
Nicholas Scutari Nicholas Paul Scutari (born November 18, 1968) is an American politician and attorney who has served as the 115th president of the New Jersey Senate since 2022. A member of the Democratic Party, he has held a Senate seat since 2004, representin ...
endorsed Murphy in the senate race. According to the ''
New Jersey Globe David Wildstein (born September 1961) is an American businessman, former Republican Party politician, and the founder and editor-in-chief of the New Jersey political news website '' New Jersey Globe''. A former mayor of Livingston, New Jersey, h ...
'', Murphy had, by then, been endorsed by Democratic county chairs in
Bergen Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 20 ...
, Camden,
Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...
,
Hudson Hudson may refer to: People * Hudson (given name) * Hudson (surname) * Hudson (footballer, born 1986), Hudson Fernando Tobias de Carvalho, Brazilian football right-back * Hudson (footballer, born 1988), Hudson Rodrigues dos Santos, Brazilian f ...
,
Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...
,
Passaic Passaic ( or ) is a city in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the city was the state's 16th-most-populous municipality,Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...
, and Union counties. Some anonymous sources privately undermined either their own public endorsement of Murphy or her standing to political reporters, raising concerns of political nepotism motivating their initial endorsement. Similarly, the ''
Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' reported that "insiders and members of the state party" anonymously raised concerns about how Murphy received these endorsements. In January 2024, the ''New York Times'' reported on an audio recording that portrayed a staffer for the
New Jersey Democratic State Committee The New Jersey Democratic State Committee (NJDSC) is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of New Jersey. LeRoy J. Jones Jr. is the chair and Peg Schaffer is the vice chair. Its main rival is the New Jersey Republican State C ...
calling executives of the
College Democrats College Democrats is an organization located on several college campuses. Their main focus is to elect Democratic Party candidates and provide networking and leadership opportunities for student members. The chapters have served as a way for coll ...
of New Jersey as they met prior to endorsing Murphy's rival, Andy Kim, in the senate race. Over the course of two hours, the staffer exerted pressure on the college group, offering for Murphy to call them and, eventually, warning that a Kim endorsement could "harm their future job prospects, deprive their organization of ... funding and hurt their odds of being selected as delegates to the
Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 18 ...
." The staffer later told the ''New York Times,'' "It wasn't coming from a place of threatening at all." The staffer said that the call was to encourage the executive group of the College Democrats of New Jersey to halt an online endorsement vote of a Senate candidate because she did not believe statewide Democratic organizations should pick sides before a primary. A Murphy campaign spokesperson stated that the State Committee staffer's comments were "totally and completely inappropriate, and they in no way represent this campaign or what we stand for," having been "made by a young person with no connection to our campaign." Tammy Murphy, meanwhile, called the College Democrats of New Jersey's vice president to apologize.


Suspension of campaign

On March 24, 2024, Murphy suspended her campaign for Senate. She said "with Donald Trump on the ballot and so much at stake for our nation, I will not in good conscience waste resources tearing down a fellow Democrat." Her campaign suspension largely cleared the field for Kim in the Democratic primary, as incumbent Menendez announced on March 21 that he would not run in the primary. A "senior Democratic aide" in politics in the state complained to NJ Advance Media following the suspension that Murphy's campaign "was forced down people's throats in a way that stripped away that pretense ndin a way that humiliated and enraged the people who do the most work electing Democrats in this state." The aide said that he found Murphy's alleged lack of qualifications "galling," asserting that "there was no reason for this campaign except that she wanted the title and she was the governor's wife and so it belonged to her." In the days after her campaign, at least two prominent New Jersey political commentators ( Jeff Tittel, Julie Roginsky) compared the Murphys on social media to the fictional wealthy couple Tom and Daisy Buchanan as described in a famous quote from the 1925 novel in which they appear,
F. Scott Fitzgerald Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald (September 24, 1896 – December 21, 1940), widely known simply as Scott Fitzgerald, was an American novelist, essayist, and short story writer. He is best known for his novels depicting the flamboyance and exces ...
's ''
The Great Gatsby ''The Great Gatsby'' () is a 1925 novel by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Set in the Jazz Age on Long Island, near New York City, the novel depicts first-person narrator Nick Carraway's interactions with Jay Gatsby, a mysterious mi ...
''.


Personal life

As a college student in 1987, Murphy met her future husband Phil when he was dating a friend. They met again as employees of Goldman Sachs and their paths crossed a few times, but they did not work closely together. Tammy reached out to Phil in 1993 after the death of his brother and the two had dinner. They were engaged 18 days later and married in six months. The Murphys have four children. All the family members are soccer fans and they play in family soccer matches. In 2000, the family moved to
Middletown Township, New Jersey Middletown Township is a Township (New Jersey), township in northern Monmouth County, New Jersey, Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township was List of municipalities in New Jersey, the ...
. They moved to Germany for four years while Phil was serving as ambassador. The Murphys are friends of
Jon Bon Jovi John Francis Bongiovi Jr. (born March 2, 1962), known professionally as Jon Bon Jovi, is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actor. He is best known as the founder and Lead vocalist, frontman of the rock band Bon Jovi, which was fo ...
and his family, their neighbors in Middletown. Because Phil Murphy worked at Goldman Sachs until he retired in 2006 and at the time of its IPO, the Murphys are thought to be worth in the range of several hundred million dollars (according to one estimate reported in ''
Der Spiegel (, , stylized in all caps) is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. With a weekly circulation of about 724,000 copies in 2022, it is one of the largest such publications in Europe. It was founded in 1947 by John Seymour Chaloner ...
'' in 2009). Other sources give a net worth in the $80 million range. From 2010 to 2018 alone, the couple earned a combined $41.45 million from their investments and entitlements according to NJ Advance Media. Murphy speaks German and some Italian.


References


External links


First Lady Tammy Snyder Murphy
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Murphy, Tammy 1965 births 2020 United States presidential electors 21st-century American businesswomen American investment bankers American women investors American people of Jewish descent American soccer chairmen and investors American women bankers First ladies and gentlemen of New Jersey Goldman Sachs people Living people Gotham FC owners New Jersey Democrats People from Middletown Township, New Jersey People from Virginia Beach, Virginia University of Virginia alumni Candidates in the 2024 United States Senate elections Nepotism