Indicted Sen. Bob Menendez lashes out after drawing high-profile political challenger

Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) on Wednesday accused Gov. Phil Murphy (D-NJ) and wife, Tammy, of turning on him after his federal indictment for “personal” gain in response to New Jersey’s first lady launching a bid for his coveted Senate seat.

The embattled senator pushed back in a heated statement against his former political allies, who had supported Menendez until immediately after he was first indicted on bribery charges. He warned that Tammy Murphy’s entry into the race would open her up to criticism of her husband’s gubernatorial record on issues like taxes and his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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“When Phil Murphy rushed to judgment and called on me to resign, it was clear he had a personal, vested interest in doing so at the expense of core democratic principles — the presumption of innocence and due process,” Menendez said.

“Gov. Murphy has said he won’t appoint his wife to the seat, but why would he since there was never a need to?” his statement continued. “They believe they have to answer to nobody, but I am confident that the people of New Jersey will push back against this blatant maneuver at disenfranchisement.”

Menendez went on to accuse Tammy Murphy of being “a card-carrying Republican for years” as “I was working to elect Democrats up and down the ballot and fighting in Washington to deliver for hardworking families in New Jersey.”

The Garden State’s first lady, 58, was one of the Democratic names that began to emerge as a possible Menendez challenger after his first indictment in September. A source familiar told the Washington Examiner at the time that the first lady had been fielding calls from state and national Democrats suggesting she throw her hat in the ring.

Tammy Murphy was a financier prior to becoming a homemaker, and has been described by those close to her as extremely involved in her husband’s administration. Several Democratic operatives told her they believe she will perform well with suburban women, a critical constituency in the state.

She will need to coalesce enough support in a crowded primary field in order to reach general election voters in a state dominated by Democrats for decades. The party has won most statewide races since the late 1970s, with one notable recent exception being former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican who served two terms.

Thus, the winner of the Democratic primary is expected to also win the general election unless the individual is a weakened candidate.

“Democrats have won every New Jersey Senate race since 1978 and 2024 will be no different,” a national Democratic Senate campaign aide told the Washington Examiner when asked about the possibility that Menendez wins the nomination.

For his part, Menendez has said he will not resign despite the two sets of federal charges. While he has predicted he will still be New Jersey’s senior senator at the end of this ordeal, he has not officially launched his 2024 reelection bid.

Should he choose to run, Tammy Murphy won’t be his only Democratic challenger. Rep. Andy Kim (D-NJ) launched his bid to unseat Menendez immediately after his September indictment, and other state Democrats are considering getting in the race.

While Menendez doesn’t currently have anywhere near majority support among Democratic primary voters, there is a chance, albeit small, that he could squeak out a win in a crowded field. The crowded field itself is also an illustration of how New Jersey political watchers view Menendez’s precarious political situation and his uphill climb to hold on to his seat.

Menendez has seen his approval rating among New Jersey voters plummet below 10% in polls conducted since his two indictments, making him the equivalent of political poison even as a long-serving Democrat in a deep blue state. Even if Menendez manages to be the Democratic Party’s nominee next year, Republicans will be lining up for the chance to challenge such an embattled figure.

Depending on the electability of the GOP nominee, that individual could pose a threat to Menendez’s candidacy.

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Federal prosecutors have accused Menendez and his wife, Nadine Arslanian, of illegally using the senator’s position as the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to peddle influence with donors and benefit the Egyptian government in exchange for cash, gold bars, and other valuables. In October, he was charged with operating as an unregistered foreign agent on behalf of Egypt.

Menendez, who was required to relinquish his Foreign Relations Committee chairmanship after the September indictment, has dismissed both sets of charges as part of a larger “smear campaign” against him. He has vowed to fight the charges and has pleaded not guilty in both cases.