Tammy Murphy drops out of NJ Senate Democratic primary to replace indicted Sen. Bob Menendez

• Tammy Murphy, the first lady of New Jersey, announced that she will drop out of the New Jersey Senate primary to unseat indicted Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez.
• Her exit widens the path for Democratic Rep. Andy Kim to secure the party nomination.
• Menendez is facing over a dozen federal criminal charges for allegedly giving the Egyptian government sensitive U.S. government information in exchange for hundreds of thousands of dollars of gifts.

Tammy Murphy, the wife of New Jersey Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, announced Sunday that she would withdraw from the state's Democratic Senate primary contest. The winner of that June 4 election will become the favorite to replace indicted Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez.

"After many busy, invigorating, and yes, challenging months. I am suspending my Senate campaign today," Murphy said in a Sunday post on X. "It is clear to me that continuing in this race will involve waging a very divisive and negative campaign, which I am not willing to do."

Murphy's exit widens the path for Democratic Rep. Andy Kim to lock down his frontrunner status ahead of the primary.

Menendez confirmed last week that he would not run for a fourth term as a Democrat. He also teased a potential run for his set as an Independent.

The senator and his wife have been indicted on more than a dozen federal criminal counts, including allegations of bribery. Prosecutors claim that Menendez provided sensitive information to the Egyptian government, allegedly trading his political clout for hundreds of thousands of dollars in gifts, including gold bars and a Mercedes-Benz convertible.

"With Donald Trump on the ballot and so much at stake for our nation, I will not in good conscience waste resources tearing down a fellow