Sen. Bob Menendez says he could run as an independent if he beats the gold
When Democratic New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez was charged in September with accepting a big sack of gold (among other inducements) in return for pulling strings for a few allegedly shady constituents and the government of Egypt, it took his colleagues in the Senate and in the Garden State a few days to figure out what to do. Sack-of-gold bribery allegations are seen as a bad look in modern politics, but Menendez had beat corruption charges before, and Dems were wary of alienating him while holding only a one-vote majority in the upper chamber of Congress. After a few days, though, a consensus emerged that Menendez should resign, and that has come to seem like the right decision: Prosecutors have added charges to the indictment against him, and one of his co-defendants agreed to testify against him in a plea deal. Dems have moved on to an eventful primary contest between Tammy Murphy, wife of state Gov. Phil Murphy, and up-and-coming Rep. Andy Kim. Whoever wins that race in June will be a major favorite to hold the seat for the party in November’s general election. Or will they??? On Thursday, Sen. Bob pulled a “classic Menendez,” announcing in a video that he hopes to pursue a candidacy as an “independent Democrat” in November’s election in the event that he is able to achieve an “exoneration” at his trial, which is scheduled to begin in May. And as longtime New Jersey politics observer and participant David Wildstein noted on his New Jersey Globe site almost as soon as Menendez was indicted, it’s not unheard-of for an incumbent who got dumped by their party to mount an independent campaign; such a candidacy actually cost Democrats a Senate seat in Connecticut in 1970 by drawing votes from the party’s official nominee. On the other hand, Menendez is incentivized to wait as long as possible to formally end his bid for reelection, via rules that allow campaign funds to be used on legal fees related to charges of misconduct in office. He also has a separate legal defense fund that has raised money from a number of players in New Jersey politics; those donations would presumably become harder to solicit if he were to announce that he did not plan to be a viable New Jersey politician anymore. Teasing a potential independent run might just be a ploy to keep the money coming in. Should Democrats be worried? Wildstein says yeah, sure. “If Menendez can make a case that he was an innocent man, he would need just 8 percent to be a spoiler,” he says, guessing that the race’s Republican candidate will receive a vote share in the mid-40s. He also thinks the controversial senator will do whatever is in his best interest, regardless of whom it annoys. “I’ve known Menendez since we were young mayors together in 1987,” Wildstein said—his position was in Livingston, home of the Kushner family and Chris Christie, while Menendez served in blue-collar Union City. “I’m convinced that he’ll put up a fight if he can.” That said, he notes, there’s a lot that could still happen between now and November, including a guilty verdict, which would render the discussion moot. “What he’s fighting for,” Wildstein says, “remains to be seen.”Related From Slate
Ben Mathis-Lilley
New Jersey Senator Indicted for Acting How You’d Imagine a Senator From New Jersey Would Act
Read More Popular in News & Politics
- 最近发表
- 随机阅读
-
- Families of S. Korean detainees in NK appeal to embassies for support
- 灞变笢绉诲姩闈掑矝鍒嗗叕鍙稿畬鎴?023涓浗鏃犵嚎鐢靛ぇ浼氶€氫俊淇濋殰宸ヤ綔
- 改善旅游供给 满足游客需求
- 业界首创!海信发布全球首款120吋可折叠激光电视
- South Korean lawmakers brace for US election as Harris, Trump diverge on North Korea
- 春节期间 雨城区四千余个停车位免费停车
- 市人社局与太平洋财险雅安中支公司联合开展“新职伤”慰问活动
- 全面排查风险隐患 保障农业安全生产
- Number of COVID
- 诗润雅州春意盛 飞花雅令送祝福
- 开展春运志愿服务 展现城市文明水平
- 2024年春运昨日开启
- 厚植精神文明沃土 培树司法文明新风
- 雅安公安交警开启春运“护航模式”
- 节前卫生大扫除 干净文明过春节
- 交通银行青岛分行发行青岛市首张社保卡“居民服务一卡通”
- 'Please find her': Man dies amid 25
- G549线石棉境内段改建工程四标段正式通车
- 春节出游 文明相伴
- 春节期间我在岗 铆足干劲加油干
- 搜索
-
- 友情链接
-