Tammy Murphy’s campaign manager leaves after rough start to Senate bid in NJ

New Jersey first lady Tammy Murphy’s campaign manager is leaving after a turbulent start to her bid for the Senate, a spokesperson confirmed to POLITICO.

The departure of Max Glass — who was announced as Murphy’s campaign manager in January — comes amid important party conventions and early troubles for Murphy. She trails in public polling to her chief rival, Democratic Rep. Andy Kim, and lost a key early contest in Monmouth County — her home of 25 years — to Kim earlier this month.

The campaign did not give a reason for Glass’ departure, which was first reported by The New York Times. There is no immediate replacement for the role.

“We are extremely grateful for the value and the passion that Max brought to our team and his efforts to stand up this campaign,” spokesperson Alex Altman said in a statement. “We have momentum and a clear path to winning the primary on June 4 and making Tammy Murphy the Democratic nominee to the U.S. Senate in this November’s election.”

Saily Avelenda, who was until recently the executive director of the New Jersey Democratic State Committee, is also now a consultant for the campaign, according to Altman.

Murphy, who is married to Gov. Phil Murphy, announced her bid for Senate in November following the indictment of New Jersey’s senior senator, Bob Menendez. He is accused by federal prosecutors of taking bribes in exchange for political favors for New Jersey businesspeople and foreign governments, although he has insisted he is innocent. Menendez has not ruled out running for reelection.

Tammy Murphy quickly became the presumed front-runner after key party leaders immediately endorsed her candidacy. The support of those party leaders — some of whom have a financial interest in state business — carries enormous sway in Democratic primaries and means that Murphy will likely have favorable positioning on New Jersey’s primary ballots in Democratic strongholds across the state.

But she has faced harsh criticism from some progressives and been accused of nepotism, while Kim has tried to harness grassroots support.

A Fairleigh Dickinson University poll from earlier this month, which was the state’s first independent public poll, found Kim leading Murphy 32 percent to 20 percent. Menendez polled at 9 percent while another Democratic candidate, labor leader Patricia Campos Medina, was at 8 percent. Larry Hamm, a longtime Newark activist, is also running for Senate as a Democrat but did not appear in the polling.

Glass could not immediately be reached for comment. According to his Linkedin profile, he has led statewide campaigns for Democrats in Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Kansas, Michigan and North Carolina.

The Kim campaign declined to comment on the Murphy staff transition.

The Democratic conventions in Burlington and Hunterdon counties are this weekend, when the respective parties will determine which candidate to back in the June 4 primary. That support will determine who appears on what's known as the the county line, a unique system in New Jersey that groups party-backed candidates together on one line on the ballot while others are placed elsewhere.

The line, as it is known, confers a heavy advantage to candidates, so party conventions are critical in the primary. And since New Jersey has not elected a Republican to the Senate in half a century, whichever candidate wins the primary is favored to succeed in November's general election. Kim is favored to win party support in Burlington, his home county.