1 year ago
UNION CITY, N.J. — A defiant Sen. Bob Menendez on Monday doubled down that that he will not resign under the cloud of a damning federal bribery indictment and a state party apparatus that has largely abandoned him.
The remarks were made in Union City, N.J., Menendez's hometown where he started his political career as a school board member in the 1970s and eventually became mayor. Menendez said “this will be the biggest fight yet” for him, although he doubled down on his innocence.
“The allegations leveled against me are just that — allegations,” he said from Hudson County College. He added, “I firmly believe that when all the facts are presented, not only will I be exonerated, but I will still be New Jersey’s senior senator.”
Menendez is accused of using his office to benefit New Jersey businesspeople and the Egyptian government in exchange for gold bars, cash and a new luxury vehicle, among other things.
It’s Menendez’s third time being in the crosshairs of federal investigators since he entered the Senate and the second indictment on corruption charges over the past decade. He was indicted in 2015 on bribery allegations, although he was ultimately acquitted in a mistrial. He was, however, admonished by the Senate Ethics Committee for the matter.
“Prosecutors get it wrong sometimes,” he said during the press conference “Sadly, I know that.”
This time, however, Menendez faces seemingly insurmountable political headwinds on top of his legal troubles.
A tranche of influential state Democrats — including Gov. Phil Murphy, state Democratic Chair LeRoy Jones and the state legislature’s Senate President and Assembly Speaker — have publicly called for Menendez’s resignation after the indictment was unsealed on Friday (should Menendez resign, Murphy would have the power to appoint a replacement to the Senate).
Menendez’s defiance is characteristic, though he was forced to resign his powerful leadership position on the Foreign Relations Committee due to Senate rules Friday. But his unwillingness to step down also plays a practical purpose: To raise money for his legal defense.
Menendez did not announce he plans to seek reelection to the Senate in 2024, as was expected. Still, the race to challenge Menendez for his Senate seat in 2024 is quickly taking shape. U.S. Rep. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) and progressive activist Larry Hamm have announced they will run for the seat. Other ambitious New Jersey Democrats — including Reps. Josh Gottheimer and Mikie Sherrill — are also mentioned as possible successors amongst the state’s chattering class.
There is some electoral history to suggest Menendez is in trouble if he does seek reelection. In 2018 after Menendez survived his first corruption indictment, a virtually unknown candidate with non-existent resources nearly got 40 percent of the vote against Menendez in the Democratic primary — and that was when he had the backing of state Democrats.
An open Senate seat in New Jersey is a golden opportunity for an ambitious New Jersey Democrat; the state has not elected a Republican to the U.S. Senate since Clifford Case won reelection in 1972. With the state’s overwhelming Democratic preference in statewide federal elections, that is unlikely to change. However, the prospect of Menendez being the Democratic nominee in 2024 could make the seat much more competitive.
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