NJ Dems hatch plan to make Bob Menendez re-election unlikely: report
So far, Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) has given little indication he has any plans to resign, or even to bow out of seeking re-election, following his federal corruption indictment. Indeed, he has continued to deny all charges and even suggest that the Justice Department is persecuting him for being Latino.
But elsewhere in New Jersey politics, it's a different story, as POLITICO reports Democrats in the Garden State are debating a move to strip him of key ballot line endorsements — a move that would make it difficult for him to be re-nominated if he choses to run.
"New Jersey Democrats were already agitated by the serious nature of the charges outlined in the indictment of Menendez and his wife, Nadine. Rep. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) on Friday afternoon became the first member of the state's congressional delegation to call for Menendez to step down from Congress following the indictment," reported Sarah Ferris and Matt Friedman. "It's not clear how quickly the state's Democrats might try to move against Menendez's formal listing on their ballot, if they do. The senator drew a primary challenger, small-town mayor Joe Signorello III, but he since shifted his sights to the House."
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In New Jersey, there is a controversial ballot design system that effectively rigs the primary for whomever county-level officials endorse for office. Candidates who receive the "party line," as chosen by those officials, are displayed in a more prominent column on the ballot, while those who do not are displayed in separate columns off to the side that make it confusing for voters to select them. If New Jersey county officials select someone other than Menendez for the party line, he would have an uphill battle.
The indictment released Friday alleges that Menendez and his wife covertly aided the government of Egypt, using his powerful position chairing the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, in exchange for bribes in cash and gold bars.
This allegation is unrelated to a separate indictment against Menendez from 2015, which alleged he traded gifts for political favors for an opthalmologist in Florida; that case was ultimately dropped after a hung jury led to a mistrial.
