Good Thursday morning! The relationship — or lack of one — between Rep. Andy Kim and the Murphys is getting more attention as the governor appears unlikely to name him to Bob Menendez’s soon-to-be vacant Senate seat. Kim — the Senate Democratic nominee who is in his third term in the House of Representatives — told reporters last week before Menendez stepped down that he would accept the appointment if offered by Gov. Phil Murphy. But Kim has since all but said he isn’t going to get the nod from Murphy. “You know, my main focus is about winning this outright for six years,” he told POLITICO this week. In a closely divided House, losing a Democrat gives Republicans a greater upper hand, something the Democratic governor may be loath to risk. However, it’s impossible not to notice that the governor’s reluctance to elevate Kim comes after a brief but intense primary battle between Kim and the governor’s wife, first lady Tammy Murphy. When first lady Tammy Murphy ended her campaign in March, she cited the “challenging” race and said she was dropping out to avoid “waging a very divisive and negative campaign” that would hurt the party and waste money better spent fighting Republicans. Afterward, the governor declined to specifically endorse Kim for Senate, though he said he would vote for Democrats up and down the ticket this fall. Kim went on to win the June primary. So as long as New Jersey remains blue, Kim is going to be in the Senate in January with or without Murphy. And, it seems, Kim worries getting Murphy’s appointment could hurt his brand compared to winning an election. "I’m excited about gaining the trust of the people of New Jersey to win this Senate seat,” Kim said in a statement. “That trust needs to be earned by showing I work for them and no one else. That’s what this campaign has been about from the very beginning, and that’s how we will build a new era of Jersey politics.” Still, the governor’s preference to appoint someone other than Kim to Menendez’s seat would cost Kim a bit of Senate seniority over the other Senate rookies, a handful of whom are likely to be Democrats. It also adds to a less-than-ideal state-federal partnership in 2025, as New Jersey’s congressional delegation retools itself with a new member taking the seat of the late Donald Payne Jr., as well as Rob Menendez in only his second term just as a new president takes office in January. While Bob Menendez’s legacy is ruined by 16 felony convictions, he pointed out in his resignation letter that Murphy used to call him the “indispensable senator.” Perhaps the pair’s most coordinated work involved pushing ahead on commuter rail projects Donald Trump was sitting on, with Menendez carefully maneuvering money in Congress and Murphy calmly getting Trump to ease his opposition. If called upon, could Kim and Murphy muster the coordination to do the same? In the end, any Kim-Murphy drama may not matter. What the Democrats in the Senate need is a warm body through the end of the year. The Senate is only scheduled to meet for 39 days after Menendez’s resignation takes effect Aug. 20. And, if Kim wins in November, he will be a junior senator when he begins in 2025 without much pull in the chamber — but still a senator long after the Murphys leave Trenton in 2026. TIPS? FEEDBACK? Email me at rrivard@politico.com. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I assume you don’t wake up and trains have been stolen, so you know in advance which cars are going to run which lines, but what I don’t understand is why there’s a 10-minute notice before a train is canceled.” — NJ Transit commuter Terry Nolan to NorthJersey.com WHERE’S MURPHY? — Signing legislation on artificial intelligence tax incentives at 11 a.m. in Roseland and appearing on News 12’s “Ask Governor Murphy" at 4 p.m. | 
