For many in New Jersey, the jury’s guilty verdict on Tuesday is the nail in the coffin of U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez’s (D-NJ) political career, but how that happens may not be so simple.
The senator has said time and time again that he is not stepping down, and it would take a two-thirds majority vote to remove him from office. This verdict has opened the door for that possibility, at which time Gov. Phil Murphy could appoint someone in the senator’s stead.
NJ Spotlight News spoke with Micah Rasmussen, director of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics at Rider University, and he said that someone is most likely the current Democratic nominee for the seat, U.S. Rep. Andy Kim (D-3rd).
“Between Senate Leader Schumer, the House leadership, and Governor Murphy, they’re going to have to figure out where Andy Kim’s vote is needed the most, and where they can spare the vote the least,” Rasmussen said.
In an already heated and contested election season, the verdict has highlighted the delicate balance of power in the nation’s capital. And with the senator remaining in the race as an independent, it’s anyone’s guess whether Menendez’s fellow senators will push him to the brink of resignation or if he will be afforded the opportunity to wind down his term.
