Democrat Congressman Announces Plan To Challenge Indicted NJ Sen. Menendez

A popular New Jersey Democrat has announced plans to challenge Democratic Senator Bob Menendez, just days after Menendez was indicted on bribery charges. 

Rep. Andy Kim of New Jersey’s 3rd District posted his primary challenge to Menendez on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, saying that the Garden State “deserves better” and that re-electing Menendez in 2024 would be a mistake. The move comes as several top Democrats, including New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, have said the senator should step down. 

“After calls to resign, Senator Menendez said ‘I am not going anywhere.’ As a result, I feel compelled to run against him,” Kim posted to X. “Not something I expected to do, but NJ deserves better. We cannot jeopardize the Senate or compromise our integrity.” 

After calls to resign, Senator Menendez said “I am not going anywhere.” As a result, I feel compelled to run against him. Not something I expected to do, but NJ deserves better. We cannot jeopardize the Senate or compromise our integrity. Please join me:https://t.co/QFIaMsgJc9

— Andy Kim (@AndyKimNJ) September 23, 2023

On Friday, Menendez and his wife, Nadine, were indicted on bribery charges after U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams opened a corruption investigation in October 2022. He faces charges of conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, and conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right. 

The indictment alleges that Menendez and his wife took hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes intended to benefit the New Jersey senator and the Egyptian government, The Washington Post reports. Some of the alleged bribes were in the form of gold bars. Menendez had previously been indicted on federal corruption charges, but that case ended in a mistrial. 

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“Those who believe in justice believe in innocence until proven guilty. I intend to continue to fight for the people of New Jersey with the same success I’ve had for the past five decades,” Menendez said in a statement Friday, rejecting resignation calls. “This is the same record of success these very same leaders have lauded all along. It is not lost on me how quickly some are rushing to judge a Latino and push him out of his seat. I am not going anywhere.”

Kim was first elected to Congress in 2018, flipping the third congressional district seat, and easily won re-election in 2020 in the district former President Donald Trump took in 2016 and 2020, POLITICO reports. 

Several Democrats have called for Menendez to resign, including Governor Murphy, Senator John Fetterman (D-PA), and Democratic New Jersey Reps. Josh Gottheimer, Bill Pascrell, and Donald Norcross. 

“The people of New Jersey absolutely need to know the truth of what happened, and I hope the judicial system works thoroughly and quickly to bring this truth to light,” Kim said before announcing his campaign. “In the meantime, I don’t have confidence that the Senator has the ability to properly focus on our state and its people while addressing such a significant legal matter. He should step down.”