Tammy Murphy calls for Democratic unity after ending Senate bid — but offers no endorsement yet

First lady Tammy Murphy, who ended her U.S. Senate bid Sunday, declined Wednesday to throw her support to the new Democratic front-runner, Rep. Andy Kim.

In her first public comments since she suspended her campaign, Murphy repeated her reason for withdrawing from the increasingly divisive race — that Democrats must retain the seat.

“I will not sink to a level where I am going to literally attack and take down a fellow Democrat in a year that’s as absolutely existentially important as this one,” she said. “We’ve got Donald Trump trying to get into the White House again. We’ve got to maintain control of the Senate. We’ve got to flip the House. And oh, by the way, here in New Jersey, we have some really consequential, down-ballot races that I did not want, in June, to have whoever the candidate should be emerge damaged and have our party so splintered.”

She pointed to the political prognosticating site The Cook Report, which on Monday declared New Jersey “solid Democrat” now that Murphy dropped out of the Senate race.

“That is what I was after. That is why I did what I did,” she said.

Still, she did not endorse anyone for the seat now held by indicted Sen. Bob Menendez, saying: “I am not making any news on that today, no.”

“There are three candidates in this primary right now — Patricia Campos-Medina, Larry Hamm, Andy Kim,” she said. “They all need to make sure that they are reaching out to the voices that need to be raised and that they are going to consider how they will reflect those voices and what they’re going to do for them.”

Murphy spoke to reporters after addressing members of the Maternal and Infant Health Innovation Authority, a new body that held its inaugural meeting Wednesday at the New Jersey Economic Development Authority’s offices in Trenton. Maternal and infant health has been her signature issue as New Jersey’s first lady.

She told reporters she ended her campaign Sunday because nominating petitions were due Monday.

“If I was going to take a step back — and it was for unity — the last thing I could do is have my name printed on that ballot and confuse the voters in June,” she said. “It’s not fair. How can I do that to people? So once I realized what a bloody, expensive, and just divisive path I was going to have to go down, I then realized: OK, it’s got to be now.”

Murphy teared up when asked if her first run for office had soured her on ever seeking an elected post again.

“I feel the burden of all those who believed that we can get to a better place,” she said, recounting fundraisers, talks, and other events she’s had to cancel since Sunday. “I have people who wanted to meet on the ground who were making plans, and I’ve let a lot of people down on that front.”

Still, she added, “I would absolutely do it again. There’s just no question I would do it again.”