{"id":2334831,"date":"2024-08-31T14:14:01","date_gmt":"2024-08-31T18:14:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/murphy-tries-to-take-middle-ground-in-new-jersey-senate-race-by-refusing-to-endorse-democrat-kim-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-08-31T14:16:22","modified_gmt":"2024-08-31T18:16:22","slug":"murphy-tries-to-take-middle-ground-in-new-jersey-senate-race-by-refusing-to-endorse-democrat-kim-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/murphy-tries-to-take-middle-ground-in-new-jersey-senate-race-by-refusing-to-endorse-democrat-kim-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Murphy tries to take middle ground in New Jersey Senate race by refusing to endorse Democrat Kim &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">40<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmurphy-tries-to-take-middle-ground-in-new-jersey-senate-race-by-refusing-to-endorse-democrat-kim-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2334831&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has not endorsed\u200d Rep. Andy Kim in the state&#8217;s U.S. Senate race, despite Kim&#8217;s\u2064 victory over Murphy&#8217;s wife in the Democratic primaries. Murphy chose not \u200dto appoint \u2064Kim\u2064 to the vacant Senate seat previously held by Bob Menendez, opting\u2062 instead for his former chief of staff, George Helmy. Though Murphy acknowledged both <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/analysis-de-blasios-freakish-twig-arm-raises-questions-about-alleged-gym-addiction\/\" title=\"ANALYSIS: De Blasio\u2019s Freakish Twig Arm Raises Questions About Alleged Gym Addiction\">candidates running<\/a> for the Senate as &#8220;very good,&#8221; he stopped short of \u2063endorsing Kim directly. In recent comments, \u200cMurphy \u200dindicated he would vote for Democrats but emphasized that \u2063recognizing someone&#8217;s positive qualities does not equate to an endorsement. He dismissed media suggestions of tension between \u200chimself and Kim, maintaining that he was\u200d not involved\u200b in \u200cany drama and preferred not to influence the Senate election process.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Murphy tries to take middle ground in New Jersey Senate race by refusing to endorse Democrat Kim<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1742772\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Gov. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/phil-murphy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Phil Murphy<\/a> (D-NJ) has not yet made an endorsement in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/new-jersey\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>New Jersey<\/a>&lsquo;s U.S. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/senate\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Senate<\/a> race.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Despite being given multiple opportunities to name Rep. Andy Kim (D-NJ), who beat his wife, Tammy Murphy, in the state&rsquo;s Democratic primaries, for Senate, Murphy has declined to endorse him outright.<\/p>\n<p>Murphy also declined to appoint Kim to former Sen. Bob Menendez&rsquo;s vacant Senate seat, a move that some saw as a slight given it may have given Kim a leg-up as an incumbent against Republican challenger Curtis Bashaw. He appointed his former chief of staff, George Helmy, instead.<\/p>\n<p>In an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.semafor.com\/article\/08\/23\/2024\/ive-never-seen-a-month-like-this-new-jersey-gov-phil-murphy-on-the-kamala-moment\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>interview <\/a>with <em>Semafor<\/em> last week, Murphy said they have &ldquo;two very good candidates running&rdquo; in the state&rsquo;s Senate race. When questioned on the statement, he said, &ldquo;I happen to know both of them well! But obviously, I&rsquo;m a Democrat, so you can imagine where I&rsquo;m going to be.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Murphy&rsquo;s statement suggests he will vote for Kim, but he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/despite-insistence-by-democrat-politicians-and-medical-elites-empirical-evidence-does-not-conclusively-show-that-masks-reduce-the-spread-of-covid\/\" title=\"Despite Insistence by Democrat Politicians and Medical Elites, Empirical Evidence DOES NOT Conclusively Show that Masks Reduce the Spread of COVID\">doesn&#038;rsquo<\/a>;t endorse him. Murphy <a href=\"https:\/\/newjerseyglobe.com\/campaigns\/murphy-says-hell-vote-straight-democratic-but-stops-short-of-endorsing-kim-by-name\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>told<\/a> the <em>New Jersey Globe<\/em> on Friday that &ldquo;Just because I say that somebody&rsquo;s a nice person doesn&rsquo;t mean that that&rsquo;s where my allegiance is going to fall,&rdquo; adding that he&rsquo;d vote for Democrats up and down the ticket.<\/p>\n<p>The governor declined that there&rsquo;s any sort of drama between him and Kim. &ldquo;A lot of the press, and I&rsquo;m not accusing anybody of this, would imply that there&rsquo;s sort of some <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/5-washed-up-leftists-who-found-homes-in-academia\/\" title=\"5 Washed Up Leftists Who Found Homes In Academia\">middle school drama<\/a> between me and Andy Kim, which is just not true,&rdquo; he told <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>reporters<\/a> earlier this month.<\/p>\n<p>As for his refusal to appoint Kim, he said that he refused to put his &ldquo;finger on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fact-check-nyt-fact-checks-on-trumps-claims-about-migrants-and-afghanistan-withdrawal-are-misleading\/\" title=\"FACT CHECK: NYT Fact Checks On Trump\u2019s Claims About Migrants And Afghanistan Withdrawal Are Misleading\">scale&#038;rdquo<\/a>; of the Senate election. He said he called Bashaw and Kim to inform them of the same statement, and that the winner will step in after the election is certified, taking Helmy&rsquo;s spot.<\/p>\n<p>Still, a lack of support from Murphy for Kim is unusual. Rep. Donald Norcross (D-NJ) said &ldquo;There is no middle ground there. He is the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/Democrats\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Democratic<\/a> candidate for Senate and he will be our next senator, let&rsquo;s be clear about it.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The Bashaw campaign welcomed Murphy&rsquo;s &ldquo;support&rdquo; and confirmed that Bashaw did work with Murphy and &ldquo;a number of governors on both sides of the aisle&rdquo; as the owner of Cape Resorts.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;While Andy Kim&rsquo;s support goes no further than his far-left base, Curtis is gaining ground with Democrats, Republicans, and independents all across the state,&rdquo; a spokesperson for Bashaw told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;So we obviously welcome Gov. Murphy&rsquo;s support.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> contacted the Kim campaign and Murphy&rsquo;s office but did not receive a response.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1742772\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1742772\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Governor Phil Murphy (D-NJ) is attempting to maintain a neutral stance in the New Jersey U.S. Senate race by withholding his endorsement of Democrat Andy Kim. Although he has had several chances to support Kim, who won the Democratic primary against Murphy&#8217;s wife, Tammy, he has chosen not to endorse him directly. Additionally, Murphy did not appoint Kim to fill the vacant Senate seat left by former Senator Bob Menendez, which some interpreted as a slight since it could have provided Kim with an advantage as an incumbent against Republican Curtis Bashaw. Instead, Murphy appointed his former chief of staff, George Helmy.<\/p>\n<p>In a recent interview with Semafor, Murphy acknowledged that there are &#8220;two very good candidates&#8221; in the race and indicated that while he knows both well and is a Democrat\u2014implying he would vote for Kim\u2014he stopped short of giving him an official endorsement. He clarified to the New Jersey Globe that expressing admiration for someone does not equate to political allegiance and emphasized his intention to support Democrats across the board.<\/p>\n<p>Murphy dismissed any notion of conflict between himself and Kim as media speculation lacking truth. Regarding his decision not to appoint Kim, he stated that he wanted to avoid influencing the Senate election process unduly. He informed both Bashaw and Kim about this approach and noted that whoever wins will take over Helmy&#8217;s position after certification of the election results.<\/p>\n<p>Despite this lack of endorsement from Murphy being seen as unusual by some observers\u2014including Rep. Donald Norcross (D-NJ), who asserted that there should be no ambiguity about supporting Kim\u2014the Bashaw campaign welcomed what they interpreted as support from Murphy due to past collaborations between Bashaw and various governors across party lines. A spokesperson for Bashaw claimed their candidate was gaining traction among voters from all parties in contrast with Andy Kim\u2019s appeal being limited primarily to his far-left base.<\/p>\n<p>The Washington Examiner reached out for comments from both campaigns but did not receive any responses<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2334832,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Phl-Murphy.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[13348,12078,8138,39816,32504],"class_list":["post-2334831","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-endorsement","tag-kim","tag-murphy","tag-new-jersey-senate-race","tag-political-strategy"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Phl-Murphy.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2334831","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2334831"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2334831\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2334832"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2334831"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2334831"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2334831"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}