Tammy Murphy would not accept Senate appointment to replace Bob Menendez

Gov. Phil Murphy (D-NJ) will have to appoint a replacement when Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) resigns from the Senate next month, but the governor’s wife, Tammy Murphy has said she would not take the spot.

Menendez put in his resignation notice on Tuesday, after being convicted on corruption charges by a federal court last week. He will leave the Senate effective Aug. 20. Tammy Murphy, who ran for the Senate seat earlier this year before dropping her bid prior to the Democratic primary, announced on Tuesday that she would not accept an appointment to the seat.

I am thrilled that New Jersey will soon have the representation we need and deserve in the U.S. Senate.

While I’m grateful for the humbling support and outreach I’ve received since last year, I want to reiterate that I will not accept an appointment to the U.S. Senate. pic.twitter.com/u9sheITBCJ

— Tammy Murphy (@FirstLadyNJ) July 23, 2024

“I am thrilled that New Jersey will soon have the representation we need and deserve in the U.S. Senate. I am confident the Governor will appoint a steady hand to guide us over the coming months,” Murphy said.

“While I’m grateful for the humbling support and outreach I’ve received since last year, I want to reiterate that I will not accept an appointment to the U.S. Senate,” she added.

Phil Murphy said in a statement on Tuesday that he had received Menendez’s resignation letter and that he “will exercise my duty to make a temporary appointment to the United States Senate to ensure the people of New Jersey have the representation they deserve.”

The person filling the next full term for Menendez’s seat will be decided in November, when Rep. Andy Kim (D-NJ) and Republican Curtis Bashaw face off. Menendez has also launched an independent bid to keep his seat, and said he would continue the bid if he is exonerated.

The race for Menendez’s seat in November has been rated as “solid Democrat” by the Cook Political Report.