US Senator Bob Menendez—twice indicted during his Congressional career, including a recent one involving bribe money—announced on Thursday, Mar. 21, that he would not be running for reelection as a Democrat.
However, Politico reported that he would still take his chance to retain his Senate seat for New Jersey in November as an independent, saying that he was hopeful that his "exoneration" would "take place this summer."
"Unfortunately, the present accusations I am facing —of which I am innocent and will prove so—will not allow me to have that type of dialogue and debate with political opponents that have already made it the cornerstone of their campaign," Menendez said in a video statement. "New Jerseyans deserve better than that."
Menendez's announcement came days before New Jersey's Democratic filing deadline on Monday (Mar. 25). If he ran for reelection as a Democrat, he would not only be jumping into an already contentious primary between Rep. Andy Kim and New Jersey First Lady Tammy Murphy but also need to convince New Jerseyans due to poor performance in recent public polls.
From Democrat to Independent
The senator was scheduled to undergo trial in early May, while the independent filing would be on June 4, which meant that he was keeping the independent option on the table to see if he would be exonerated.
Menendez faced a previous indictment and trial when he was up for reelection, but a mistrial in 2017 allowed him to maintain support from the state's party establishment in 2018.
However, unlike half a decade ago, he would need to do the same feat in a tighter timeframe and an environment where virtually every statewide Democrat of influence has abandoned him.
Regardless, an independent Menendez could potentially raise problems for Democrats, as New Jersey has not elected a Republican to the Senate in 50 years. To make matters worse, the Democratic primary has shown deep divisions between the party establishment and its progressive wing.
As there were more independent voters than registered Republicans, the primary fight between Kim and Murphy could ripple into the general election, with the presidency and the closely divided Senate on the line.
"I will win in November even if I have to beat Menendez and a Republican simultaneously," Kim said on X, formerly Twitter. "The balance of the Senate is on the line and we need the strongest candidate possible to keep this seat blue and the Senate in Democratic control."
GOP Field Day
On the other hand, Republicans took a field day for the turmoil from within the Democrats.
Mendham Borough Mayor Christine Serrano Glassner, a Republican connected to Donald Trump, called Menendez "Gold Bar Bob" because of the allegations against him regarding bribe money. She said in a statement that she welcomed him staying in the Senatorial race.
"As I've said from the beginning, Menendez should have to face the voters and the people of New Jersey should have the opportunity to repudiate him - and the corruption and cronyism of the Democratic Party as a whole - at the ballot box," she said in a statement.
The son of Cuban immigrants, Menendez entered politics in 1974 as a Union City school board member. He was then elected mayor of Union City in 1986 and a state legislator in 1987. He won a House seat in 1992 and became a senator in 2006.
His past year in Congress was defined by allegations of corruption and bribery, all of which he has repeatedly denied. The first news of the indictment broke in September when court documents accused Menendez and his wife of accepting bribes in the form of cash, a car, and gold bars to help aid the Egyptian government.
A second indictment was then filed against him in January, this time alleging that he was acting as a foreign agent of Qatar.
Menendez strongly maintained his innocence.
Despite calls from within his own party and state to resign, Menendez stayed in office, saying he was being falsely attacked as a Cuban-American. Menendez has also reaffirmed that "of course" he could win reelection.
