Carol Murphy for New Jersey’s 3rd Congressional District | Endorsement

New Jersey Rep. Andy Kim’s decision to run for indicted U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez’s seat created a scramble to take Kim’s place.

Kim’s 3rd Congressional District mainly covers Burlington County, as well as some parts of Mercer County near Trenton and scattered towns in Monmouth County. The district backed President Joe Biden by 14 points in 2020, so the winner of the Democratic primary on June 4 will likely be elected to Congress in November.

Kim has served the district well and leaves big shoes to fill. Five candidates are running in the Democratic primary. They include New Jersey General Assembly members Herb Conaway Jr. (D., Delran) and Carol Murphy (D., Mount Laurel). The three other Democratic candidates are attorney Joseph Cohn, teacher Brian Schkeeper, and small-business owner Sarah Schoengood.

Conaway and Murphy are the two front-runners in the race, according to a recent poll, though many voters are still undecided. Both have extensive government experience and name recognition. But Murphy is the best choice to represent the 3rd Congressional District.

Murphy, 61, trained as a paralegal and worked as a community relations manager for the New Jersey Schools Development Authority, the state agency that oversees the construction and renovations of school facilities. From there she served as the chief of staff to State Sen. Linda Greenstein before becoming the policy director for Assemblywoman Gabriela Mosquera.

Murphy was elected to the General Assembly in 2018. Her experience in Trenton enabled her to hit the ground running. She soon became the majority whip and a prolific legislator, introducing roughly 300 bills.

If elected to Congress, Murphy would become the first woman to serve New Jersey’s 3rd District — a historical anachronism in need of change. She said her top priorities would focus on protecting women’s reproductive rights, in particular codifying Roe v. Wade nationwide and ensuring access to in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment.

Murphy also discussed the need to protect voters’ rights and defend democracy, which remain under threat from Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans. To that end, Murphy said she would work to bring back trust in government by collaborating with lawmakers from both parties where possible. Murphy also committed to hold monthly town hall meetings with voters, which Kim does.

Like Kim, Murphy has an independent streak even within her own party. She told the Editorial Board she did not seek permission to run for Congress from the influential but unelected South Jersey power broker George E. Norcross III.

Murphy has an independent streak even within her own party.

That was especially refreshing given that when it comes to politics in South Jersey, all roads usually lead through Norcross (even though he claims to be stepping back from politics). The same could not be said for Conaway, a physician and attorney by training who has been in the General Assembly since 1998.

Conaway, 61, said he’s had a couple of conversations with Norcross, and asked for his support. “How can you not ask?” Conaway told the Editorial Board. “I’m asking everybody for help.”

Like Murphy, Conaway said preserving democracy and abortion rights would be his top priorities, followed by creating jobs and combating climate change. Both Conaway and Murphy said they supported wind farms off the Jersey Shore.

Among the other three candidates, Cohn, a civil rights attorney who has worked for the American Civil Liberties Union, the AIDS Law Project, and the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, seemed the strongest. He was measured and focused on trying to find common ground with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.

But in a crowded field, Murphy had the best mix of experience, independence, and temperament needed to meet the high bar set by Kim. The Inquirer endorses Assemblywoman Carol Murphy in the Democratic primary for New Jersey’s 3rd Congressional District.