Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) officially ended his independent bid for re-election on Friday, as he prepares to resign from his Senate position after his recent criminal conviction.
In a letter sent to the New Jersey Division of Elections, Menendez requested the removal of his name from November’s ballot. He had initially launched an independent campaign after choosing not to seek the Democratic nomination despite his legal troubles.
Sen. Bob Menendez ends his independent Senate bid and requests his removal from the November ballot following his criminal conviction
With Menendez withdrawing, the general election will now feature Rep. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) and Republican businessman Curtis Bashaw, along with other minor candidates.
Menendez had been planning a run for another Senate term when he faced charges last fall in a corruption case. He was accused of accepting bribes from three businessmen and acting as a foreign agent for Egypt and Qatar. Although he denied the allegations and resisted calls from his party to step down, he eventually opted not to pursue the Democratic nomination and instead ran as an independent, despite his low approval ratings.
After being found guilty on all 16 counts, including bribery and acting as a foreign agent, Menendez vowed to appeal his conviction. He announced his resignation effective August 20 but did not withdraw from the Senate race at that time. Friday marked the final opportunity to remove his name from the ballot.
Rep. Kim is considered the likely winner in the Democratic-leaning state, but Bashaw aims to pull off an upset. Some polls had shown Menendez with minimal support, making it unclear if his candidacy would have impacted the race.
Bashaw welcomed Menendez’s withdrawal, stating that the state deserves a fresh focus on the issues rather than Menendez’s controversies. In response, Kim’s campaign criticized Bashaw for his past support of Donald Trump, highlighting the candidate’s contradictory positions.
Menendez’s resignation coincides with New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy’s announcement of George Helmy, his former chief of staff, as the interim senator until a successor is elected.
