First lady Tammy Murphy sought to turn the page from her Sunday withdrawal from the Democratic U.S. Senate primary, and on Wednesday resettled her focus on an issue she made a cornerstone of her husband’s administration: maternal health.
Tammy Murphy kicked off the first meeting of the new Maternal and Infant Health Innovation Authority Board, a group that will continue the work of the Nurture NJ program that Murphy launched to ensure new moms have the resources they need to support their families.
“Today’s board meeting marks the culmination of years of work by countless individuals who’ve dedicated themselves to improving maternal health across the state,” she said.
New Jersey ranked 47th at the start of the Murphy administration, with Black mothers seven time more likely to die from childbirth than white mothers, and Black babies three time more likely to die before their first birthday than white babies. But since the launch of Nurture NJ, New Jersey climbed to 27th place.
In remarks to NJ Spotlight News, Murphy said her weekend exit from the Senate race was not out out of fear she’d lose. “My path to winning the Senate race was crystal clear. But once I realized what a bloody, expensive and just divisive path I was going to have to go down, I then realized okay, it’s got to be now,” she said.
