ICYMI - Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop Rescinds Murphy Endorsement; Backs Andy Kim for Senate
MOORESTOWN N.J. – Yesterday, Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop endorsed Congressman Andy Kim in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate. This endorsement came after Fulop had previously endorsed First Lady Tammy Murphy.
Here is how voters in New Jersey read about the news:
Star Ledger: Tammy Murphy loses major endorsement in increasingly wild U.S. Senate race
“I was an early supporter of Tammy Murphy for Senate but it’s no secret I’ve been disappointed with the campaign and how it has been conducted,” Fulop said in a statement. ”I’ve expressed that over the last two months repeatedly both privately and publicly, and at this point, it’s clear to me that I was wrong with my early support and endorsement of Tammy Murphy for Senate…At this point, I don’t think it’s in the state’s best interest for Tammy to continue her campaign.“
Murphy, a first-time candidate, was cast as the frontrunner early on in the primary as she quickly gathered critical endorsements from leading Democrats. But her campaign has frequently been a rocky one as Kim has led in polls and seen a surge in support from grassroots and progressive Democrats as the candidates fight for preferential primary ballot placement known as the “county line.”
NJ Spotlight (PBS): Fulop withdraws endorsement of Tammy Murphy for US Senate
“In eighteen years of elected office, I’ve never ever changed support publicly like this,” Fulop said in an interview with NJ Spotlight News. “So I don’t take it lightly. I made a mistake.” Fulop added, “Andy has conveyed that he has the experience, he’d be the better candidate in November. And most importantly, the energy of the party is supporting Andy Kim clearly and if we’re going to keep the seat Democratic in November, you need that energy.”
New Jersey Globe: Fulop switches his support from Murphy to Kim in U.S. Senate race
Now, he’s acknowledged that he moved too quickly. “It’s never easy to admit when mistakes are made, but I should have waited longer before endorsing,” said Fulop, the mayor of the state’s second-largest city. “Clearly, [Andy Kim’s] campaign has become a catalyst for the backbone of the Democratic Party to be saying loud and clear that things need to change in New Jersey. I agree with them.”
Fulop sharply criticized Camden County Democrats for denying another U.S. Senate candidate, Patricia Campos-Medina, access to their county committee meeting after a video showed five men blocking her on Saturday [March 16th]. “There is really no way to defend this, even in the world of New Jersey politics, and I’m disappointed that Tammy Murphy hasn’t commented publicly (or) taken any action distancing herself from this,” Fulop said on social media yesterday. “There is no rational way to defend it nor benefit from it.”
NJ.com: Fulop yanks endorsement, but HCDO (minus Hoboken Dems) stand ground behind Tammy Murphy
“Her campaign each week has been progressively worse than the previous week with regards to each convention and watching how they handle it with regards to entitlement and disregard for the grassroots of the party,” Fulop said. “Last weekend unfolded in a troubling way as well and as the convention season concluded without any changes, it became clear that I had made a mistake with my early support.”
Hudson County View: Fulop rescinds Murphy endorsement for Senate and backs Kim, contrary to HCDO
“After watching the county conventions, I believe that Andy Kim has proven that he’s the better candidate, with a clearer message, and he brings a better chance of success in November.”
“The question is ‘are you a candidate because of your husband or are you a good candidate that happens to be married to your husband?’ and those are two very different situations and I think she can make that point a little bit more clearly,” he said at a [February 7th appearance on HCV Live & Uncut]
