In spite of the numerous calls for him to resign, U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) remains defiant in his refusal to do so. But if he does resign, or if the U.S. Senate secures the two-thirds majority needed to expel him, Gov. Phil Murphy would then be responsible for appointing a replacement.
There’s lots of speculation in New Jersey about whether it would be Andy Kim, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, or Murphy’s wife Tammy Murphy, who had sought the nomination but withdrew.
“I genuinely have not had a conversation with the governor about this. I’ll leave names out of it. I don’t believe given his previous statements, months ago on whether or not this was a possibility that he would appoint someone that is currently in the race. Obviously, that’s just my opinion but, that’s what he has said publicly. So I don’t believe that’s the case,” said Dan Bryan, a former Murphy adviser.
“I say it’s Tammy Murphy and zero chance that Andy can get appointed senator,” said Republican Holly Schepisi, a state senator from Bergen County.
Both Schepisi and Bryan are calling on Menendez to resign. But Schepisi explained why more Republicans aren’t joining in those calls.
“I think it’s more a function of opportunity. I think that the longer Senator Menendez does stay on the ticket, the better the chance of potentially for the first time ever having a Republican senator. I mean, not ever, but during the time I’ve been an adult, New Jersey having a Republican senator, I think that, you know, the numbers are so close that Curtis Bashaw actually has a very real chance of becoming a U.S. senator,” Schepisi said.
