New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez Tuesday declined to resign from the Senate after his conviction on federal bribery and corruption charges, raising major questions about what will happen to his seat, which is likely to stay in Democratic hands.
Menendez, 70, who proclaimed his innocence and vowed to appeal the jury’s decision, did not respond to shouted questions at a press conference outside a lower Manhattan courthouse after the verdict.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called on Menendez, a fellow Democrat, to immediately resign, a call that was joined by Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ).
“Menendez must now do what is right for his constituents, the Senate, and our country, and resign,” Schumer tweeted after the verdict.
If Menendez, a three-term senator who led the powerful foreign relations committee, refuses to resign, he could be expelled by a two-thirds majority of the Senate.
If the Menendez seat becomes vacant for any reason, Gov. Phil Murphy said he would quickly appoint someone to fill the seat until next Jan. 1, when the winner of the November general election would take the seat.
“I will …. ensure the people of New Jersey have the representation they deserve,” said Murphy, who also called on Menendez to resign immediately. The governor did not name any potential placeholder for the seat.
Democrats control the Senate with a 51-49 edge, a tally that includes Menendez and several independents who side with Democrats.
The guilty verdict would likely make it even less likely that Menendez would run for re-election as an independent. He has filed paperwork for such a run but has until mid-August to withdraw.
He faces a sentencing hearing in late October, just days before Election Day.
Rep. Andy Kim, a central Jersey Democrat, won the Democratic primary for the seat in a walkover after Menendez did not run for the nomination.
Kim had been expected to face a tough fight against First Lady Tammy Murphy, but she pulled the plug on her campaign after a series of missteps.
Kim, a self-styled reformist, won a major victory in court when a federal judge tossed out New Jersey’s so-called “county line” ballot system, which gave enormous power to party bosses in primaries.
Given New Jersey’s deep-blue lean, Kim was already favored to beat Republican Curt Bashaw, a Cape May hotelier, and grab Menendez’s seat in the November general election.
Some Democratic insiders fretted that a Menendez independent run could siphon some votes away from Kim in Democratic strongholds like Menendez’s home base of Hudson County.
The guilty verdict may remove a possible obstacle to Kim’s making history as the first U.S. senator of Korean descent.
“The only course of action for (Menendez) is to resign his seat immediately,” Kim tweeted. “The people of New Jersey deserve better.”
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