New Jersey first lady Tammy Murphy on Wednesday formally announced a run for the Senate seat held by embattled Sen. Bob Menendez, who faces criminal charges for allegedly accepting bribes and acting as an agent of the Egyptian government. “We need a Senator who will work every single day to lower the cost of living, protect abortion rights, end the gun violence epidemic, and defend our democracy,” Murphy said in an announcement video that steered clear of directly mentioning Menendez, but included a thinly veiled reference to elected officials who “are more interested in getting rich or getting on camera than in getting things done for you.” Menendez, who has yet to say if he will seek re-election, took a blistering swipe at Murphy that highlighted her record as a former Republican and accused her and her husband, Gov. Phil Murphy, of “rushing to judgment” against him. “She will need to finally address why so many veterans died in state-run nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic … I’ll gladly put up my record of success on behalf of the people of New Jersey against anyone,” Menendez said.
