Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), indicted on multiple federal bribery and extortion charges, has refused calls from fellow Democrats to resign but hasn’t formally announced whether he will seek a fourth six-year Senate term in 2024.
Could Mr. Menendez’s embroilment in a corruption scandal boost Republicans’ odds of capturing a 2024 Senate seat in deep-blue New Jersey?
Rep. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) thinks so.
In an Oct. 5 statement after an End Citizens United/Let America Vote poll showed Mr. Kim leading Mr. Menendez 63 percent to 10 percent in a head-to-head primary race, he said: “The stakes in this election couldn’t be higher, and people understand that if Sen. Menendez is the Democratic nominee, we could lose this seat.”
The three-term representative, however, is unlikely to have a head-to-head ballot line against the incumbent in New Jersey’s June 4, 2024, primary. A growing number of Democrats are throwing their hats into the ring.
A full slate of Republicans will also battle in June’s preliminary contest to take on the Democrats’ entry.
Mr. Menendez’s seat is among 34 in the 51–49 Democrat majority Senate that go before voters in November 2024, including 20 held by Democrats, three by independents who caucus with Democrats, and 11 by Republicans.
Of the 20 seats now held by incumbent Democrats, at least eight are in states defined as “competitive” by rating services such as Sabato’s Crystal Ball and Inside Elections.
New Jersey isn’t among those “competitive” states, but Democrats fear that Mr. Menendez’s legal troubles could make a Republican candidate a viable alternative for Garden State voters.
May 6 Trial, June 4 Primary
Mr. Kim, 41, who was a U.S. State Department official in the Obama administration, staged his first Senate stump in a Nov. 10 speech at Double Nickel Brewing in Pennsauken, the same site where in 2017 he introduced his 2018 underdog campaign against two-term Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-N.J.).“The energy we saw tonight—communities from across our state coming together—shows that Democrats are fired up about bringing change to this Senate seat,” he said.
“They want integrity over corruption. They want someone who understands and will fight for them, not just the well-connected and well-off. That’s what this campaign is about, and I’m excited to get to work.”
The trial of Mr. Menendez, his wife, and the three co-defendants begins on May 6, 2024, less than a month before the primary.
He stepped down as chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in September but has resisted calls from nearly half the Senate’s Democrats, including fellow Democratic New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, to resign from office.
Although he hasn’t formally announced his reelection bid, Mr. Menendez’s campaign committee has raised $10.76 million and had $8.55 million in the bank, according to its Sept. 30 Federal Elections Committee (FEC) filing.
Mr. Kim’s Sept. 30 FEC filing showed that his campaign had raised $2.12 million and began Oct. 1 with $1.9 million in its coffers.
The day after Mr. Kim announced he was running for his Senate seat, Mr. Menendez issued a statement declaring: “I’m used to tough fights and next year won’t be any different.
“I am confident that when all the facts have been presented and my innocence proven, I’ll continue to do what I’ve always done for the past 30-plus years—delivering results for hardworking New Jersey families and small businesses across the state, fighting for the little guy, and giving a voice to the voiceless.”
The day after Mr. Kim’s Nov. 10 inaugural stump, Mr. Menendez responded with a statement criticizing those “who have rushed to judgment all in the name of political expediency.”
“I’ll gladly put up my record of success on behalf of the people of New Jersey against Andy Kim or anyone else,” he added.
