Disgraced U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) has informed New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy that he will resign from his seat following his conviction on corruption charges.
Speculations now turns to who Muphy will appoint to temporarily fill the seat. Rep Andy Kim (D-NJ) won the Democratic primary to run for a full term. However, Murphy’s wife, first lady Tammy Murphy, also ran for the but dropped out when it appeared she would not win.
Political analyst Micah Rasmussen of Rider University told Fox5 News that it would be a political “non-starter” for the governor to choose his own wife. During the campaign, Murphy publicly stated that he did not see a scenario that he would appoint her to the senate seat.
Prominent Democrats in the state are urging the Democratic governor to appoint Kim.
“I think that makes sense. But that’s in the hands of the governor. He has the sole authority to do that,” said Democratic State Chair LeRoy Jones to Politico.
One person inside the Murphy administration speaking to Politico on the condition of not being named said “unlikely is probably (a) fair” way to describe the chances of Murphy appointing Kim.
The source says the Governor would not want to appear that he is giving a member of his own party the unfair advantage of incumbency.
Kim has stated if Murphy offered him the appointment, he would take it.
“If asked, I would accept,” Kim told reporters. “But that is a decision for the governor.”
The relationship between Kim and the governor is described as strained following the hard-fought primary.
“This election is probably going to be closer than people think, and we don’t want to take (Republican nominee Curtis) Bashaw lightly,” Atlantic County Democratic Chair Michael Suleiman said to Politico. “Candidly, the fact that we haven’t elected a Republican senator in 51 years and it’s likely to be Andy Kim, why not?”
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