Rep. Andy Kim defeated first lady Tammy Murphy on her own turf at the Monmouth County Democratic Committee convention on Saturday, garnering more than enough votes to get plum placement on county ballots for the Democratic primary to replace Sen. Bob Menendez in June.
Monmouth County’s vote is notable because it was the first time a Democratic Party organization in New Jersey held a secret ballot vote for all its members. Many of the largest party organizations in the state have endorsed Murphy without having their members vote — and that has raised questions about the endorsement process’s fairness because of the governor’s outsize influence and power.
“I'm really heartened by just the turnout that we had here – that is incredible,” Kim said after the vote. “If we can win here, where they've lived for decades, I think that sends a very strong message across all of the counties that the energy that we have is real and it should not be underestimated.”
Murphy received the endorsements of eight Democratic Party county committee chairs in the five days after she announced her candidacy for Menendez’s seat. Most of those committees do not hold secret ballot votes.
Monmouth committee members lined up and waited an hour to crowd into the Portuguese Club of Long Branch, which was standing room only. Many committee members said it was the first time in many years that so many people had shown up for the annual convention.
Kim received 265 votes to Murphy’s 181. The Murphys live in Monmouth County and the first lady emphasized her long history as a local volunteer. She also said New Jersey should send its first woman to the U.S. Senate.
“We need a senator who is going to be a champion to our women and girls, and stop the right-wing extremists who want to ban abortion in all 50 states,” Murphy said.
The Murphy campaign fought hard for the vote. Committee members told Gothamist they had received personal calls from Murphy the day before the convention, which the governor and the couple’s son also attended. Both are voting members of the committee. Peg Shaffer, vice-chair of the New Jersey State Democratic Committee, was also on hand to support the first lady.
“Tammy is grateful for all the votes she received today from Monmouth County and is thankful to all the delegates that stayed in the room during the long day,” campaign spokesperson Alexandra Altman said. “New Jersey needs a senator that will stand up to MAGA Republicans and their harmful agenda, and Tammy Murphy will be that senator.”
A recent poll showed Kim had a double-digit lead over Murphy, but Saturday’s convention was the first actual vote to take place. Kim's campaign had several dozen supporters outside the convention, who were holding signs and chanting as committee members waited in line to enter the building. But many of the committee members said they didn’t want to tell Gothamist whom they planned to vote for because they had felt political pressure on their local committees.
Angela Lomangino, a committee member from Holmdel, says her No. 1 issue in casting her vote is democracy, but she didn’t want to say whom she would be voting for.
“There's a fear factor always involved,” Lomangino said.
New Jersey is the only state in the nation where political parties give preferential treatment to candidates on the primary ballot. In 19 of its 21 counties, the party committee endorses candidates for each race and places all the party-approved candidates together in one row or column. In a letter to county clerks, three Democratic candidates for the Senate — Kim, Patricia Campos-Medina and Larry Hamm — have called for all the race's candidates to be placed together.
Murphy has not called for an end to the ballot system and is expected to get the county line in the counties with the largest number of Democrats.
This story has been updated with additional information.
