Before his fall from grace, U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez was among the most powerful members of the Senate for both his political skills and Congress’ time-honored lever of power: seniority. Now about to resign after 18 years in Congress in the wake of his bribery conviction, Menendez and the state he represents are giving up a prominent spot — Menendez is the 17th most senior member out of the 100 senators, and ninth among Democrats.

New Jersey’s soon-to-be-senior Sen. Cory Booker will have a long way togo to catch up — Booker is currently the Senate’s 55th most senior member — as will Menendez’s eventual replacement who will be starting from scratch.

Read NJ Spotlight News’ full coverage of Menendez’ stunning fall and exit.