Gov. Phil Murphy on Friday appointed George Helmy, his former chief of staff, to serve the remainder of U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez’s (D-NJ) term in the Senate, saying there is “no one better prepared or more committed.”
Veteran political analysts Julie Roginsky and Mike DuHaime weighed in on the appointment and the politics involved. Roginsky said Murphy should have appointed U.S. Rep. Andy Kim (D-3rd), who is seeking the seat in the Nov. 5 election.
“It’s really about New Jersey, and what’s best for New Jersey,” said Roginsky. “And presumably if Andy Kim wins in November, and he’s widely expected to, he will have gotten some seniority if he were to go in now. So for the state of New Jersey, this is a horrible move by Governor Murphy.”
Republican strategist Mike DuHaime had a different take and harkened back to Gov. Chris Christie’s appointment of former attorney general and longtime ally Jeff Chiesa to fill the seat of the late Sen. Frank Lautenberg.
“The governor wants to appoint someone he can trust and has some experience,” DuHaime said. “In terms of George Helmy, he worked for a long time for Cory Booker and Governor Murphy, and ultimately Governor Murphy is putting in someone he can trust.”
“Most importantly in this decision was, frankly, not to give it to Andy Kim or Curtis Bashaw, not to give a leg up [in the election],” DuHaime continued. “Historically, Governor Kean and Governor Christie appointed someone who was a placeholder. And that’s what Governor Murphy has done here.”
Helmy is currently an executive at RWJ Barnabas Health, an underwriter of NJ Spotlight News. Before serving as Murphy’s chief of staff for four years, Helmy held various roles working for U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), including as state director. He’s slated to be sworn in on Sept. 9 and vowed to hit the ground running.
“Although I will only serve in this role for a few months,” said Helmy on Friday. “I will do my very best to ensure that our work is about ‘us,’ not ‘I.’ ”
