Tammy Murphy (née Snyder; born August 5, 1965)[1] is an American political figure and activist who has been the first lady of New Jersey since 2018.

A member of the Democratic Party, she was an unsuccessful candidate in the 2024 United States Senate election in New Jersey to challenge Bob Menendez.

[2] She co-owns the professional women's soccer team NJ/NY Gotham FC with her husband, New Jersey governor Phil Murphy, and chairs the organization.

[3] Her father, Edward, and mother, Jean, a British immigrant and former fashion model, owned what New York magazine described as an "empire" of car dealerships.

After she became aware of the report detailing these allegations, Murphy "took a more active role in the team, renaming it Gotham FC and moving the players to Red Bull Arena in Harrison commencing a turnaround that culminated in last season's National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) championship.

[8] While her husband was working as the United States ambassador to Germany from 2009 through 2013, Murphy, according to her biography, chaired meetings, gave speeches, and hosted meals and receptions to help further develop the German-American relationship.

[18] In 2014, in the run-up to Phil Murphy's campaign launch, she and her husband founded New Start New Jersey, a think tank to help "grow the middle class and jumpstart the economy in the state" that she chaired.

"[28] Previously, Murphy, notwithstanding her primary voting record up to 2014 as a Republican, stated that she changed political parties in the mid-2000s based on her stances on issues such as abortion, gun control, and the environment.

[3] Following a large donation by the Murphys, Al Gore recruited her to be a founding member of the environmental group The Climate Reality Project.

"[37][38][39][40] Roginsky claimed the campaign was the most "toxic" and "misogyny"-filled working environment she had ever experienced, that multiple female staffers complained of misogyny to her, that she was unable to speak out due to a gag order, and that at least one misogynistic slur was shouted at her by a top campaign advisor (a different advisor from the man accused in the Fahl incident).

[35] A fourth woman who worked on the Murphy transition team also complained of misogyny and stated she experienced a lack of support and immediate retaliatory ostracization, forcing her to quit.

[46] Although she does not receive a salary or hold an official title, Tammy Murphy has acted on a policy portfolio in an unelected capacity.

In 2021, Governor Phil Murphy signed legislation to launch a statewide, universal home visitation program for newborns.

[51] At her U.S. Senate campaign launch, Murphy discussed her initiatives (such as founding, through her personal access to the governor, Nurture NJ) that targeted New Jersey's high maternal mortality rate, especially among minority women.

[52] The Star-Ledger editorial board in July 2023 praised, "Tammy Murphy's good work on the maternal health crisis.

"[53] In December 2023, however, the same editorial board disagreed with Murphy's assertion that New Jersey's maternal mortality rate (and its racial disparities) had seen improvement because of her efforts: "Neither claim is true.

[59] Despite her unelected status, Murphy engaged in brokering political deals, including on energy legislation, appropriations for higher education, and the naming of a highway rest area.

[60] On November 15, 2023, Murphy announced her candidacy in the 2024 United States Senate election in New Jersey against incumbent Bob Menendez and Democratic U.S. House Representative Andy Kim.

"[23] Murphy had in the past been the chair of a dark money organization called Stronger Fairer Forward to promote the governor's record.

Kim also criticized Murphy for continuing to vote for anti-gun-safety Republican candidates following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012, which killed 28 children and educators.

[65][66] Early in the campaign, The Daily Beast reported that Phil and Tammy Murphy's blind trust was managed by her brother, Steve Snyder.

The publication consulted Gary Altman, a D.C. attorney, who opined that "a blind trust guided by a family member ... won't fly in D.C., [as] the federal Ethics in Government Act ... does not allow a family member to steer an elected official's [trust]," elaborating that "the real-world logic of that is: if your brother is controlling your money, [who would believe] he's not going to tell you how he's investing it?"

[5][73][74][75] Similarly, the Washington Post reported that "insiders and members of the state party" anonymously raised concerns about how Murphy received these endorsements.

Over the course of two hours, the staffer exerted pressure on the college group, offering for Murphy to call them and, eventually, warning that a Kim endorsement could "harm their future job prospects, deprive their organization of ... funding and hurt their odds of being selected as delegates to the Democratic National Convention."

[78] She said "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 Democrat.

The aide said that he found Murphy's alleged lack of qualifications "galling," asserting that "there was no reason for this campaign except that she wanted the title and she was the governor's wife and so it belonged to her.

"[81] In the days after her campaign, at least two prominent New Jersey political commentators (Jeff Tittel, Julie Roginsky) compared the Murphys on social media to the fictional wealthy couple Tom and Daisy Buchanan as described in a famous quote from the 1925 novel in which they appear, F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby.