Could New Jersey hold the key to a Republican majority in the U.S. Senate?
The Garden State hasn’t elected to a Republican to the Senate since before the Watergate scandal, but embattled incumbent Senator Bob Menendez’s announcement on Monday that he’s filed petitions to run as an independent in November could theoretically help make history. 2,465 signatures to be precise, many more than required and a challenge-proof margin.
“Today, I submitted well above the threshold of signatures required to run for re-election. The people of this great state deserve a leader in Washington with a proven track record of fighting tooth and nail to deliver results, and I intend to keep doing so as an independent Democrat,” said Menendez in a statement released via social media.”
Few believe he can win. Whether Menendez can sustain a campaign at all in the event that he’s convicted in federal court on bribery-related charges remains to be seen, but the Democrats remains undaunted.
“It displeases me to have to go this route, thanks to overzealous prosecutors, but I will do what must be done to continue to uphold my oath of office for my constituents,” Menendez added, referencing his ongoing corruption trial. “Despite what is portrayed in the press, my innocence continues to be laid out in court. As I have said before; I have committed no crime. I am more confident than ever that New Jerseyans and the rest of the American public will see me exonerated of what I am being accused of, and I will be re-elected to the Senate once again.”
In the spring, Emerson College conducted a poll which found 9% of the electorate siding with Menendez despite his legal troubles and a single-digit race between the Democrat and Republican alternatives.
New Jersey Republicans will choose between hotelier Curtis Bashaw of Cape May and Mayor Christine Glassner of Mendham in Tuesday’s primary. The presumptive Democrat nominee is Andy Kim, the current 3rd District congressman. At present, the Senate is comprised of 49 Republicans, 45 Democrats, and 6 independents whom either caucus with Democrats or “align” with them (including Menendez) for the purposes of committee assignments. The GOP is narrowly favored based on the current map to seize control of the chamber in November.
