After filing as an Independent, a New Jersey Democrat ceases to be a Democrat.
Senator Bob Menendez is determined to run for reelection despite scandal. He is currently on trial over major corruption charges. Menendez recently announced that he will not be running for the Democratic Party’s primary.
He is the incumbent and has a natural advantage over other candidates in many election cycles. He can split the Democratic vote for the upcoming general election in November.
Menendez, when asked in Spanish on Monday morning if he was changing parties, replied, “No, being independent does not mean that I am changing.”
Menendez said to reporters, who later asked him about the race, that he had done a great deal for New Jersey, especially during the pandemic, and also after Superstorm Sandy.
Menendez’s party was listed in the documents he filed with the State as “Menendez For Senate.”
New Jersey, which is usually in Democratic hands, has high political stakes, due to the Democrats’ tight control of the Senate. Menendez’s ability to steal support from U.S. Rep. Andy Kim is unclear. Kim has a good chance of winning the Democratic primary on Tuesday. Since 1972, the GOP hasn’t been able to win a U.S. Senate race in this state.
Indictments were released in September 2023, alleging that Senator Hana and his wife along with Wael Uribe, Fred Daibes, and three businessmen, Wael Hanah, had accepted bribes.
The senator is accused of using his influence and power as a United States legislator to benefit and protect the businessmen.
However, the senator maintains his innocence.
Prosecutors have claimed that Menendez tried to sell his office to enrich himself. They also argued that he helped Wael Hana, a business associate, get a lucrative monopoly over certifying Egyptian meat exports as meeting Islamic guidelines and assisted Fred Daibes, who was involved with investments tied to a Qatari royal member.
Menendez denied that there was a corrupt scheme. His attorneys claimed that his actions were a result of him carrying out diplomatic work and working for constituents. According to his lawyer, the gold bars were his wife’s, and cash was lying around his home as a habit from his parents fleeing communist Cuba.
Daibes, Hana and Menendez are all on trial. Nadine menendez, who has breast cancer and will be on trial this summer, is currently undergoing treatment.
Menendez’s choice could be problematic for his party in a year where the Democrats hope to retain the Senate, a chamber they currently hold a 1-seat majority. The GOP hasn’t won this seat in over 50 years. However, scandals, economic woes and a weak front-runner could present a challenge to the Democrats that they haven’t faced in decades.
A decision like this will almost certainly alienate the governor of New Jersey from his former supporters. And a race between him and the (allegedly corrupt) senator who steals votes from his party would only make things worse. The race has just begun.
