NJ Senator Menendez Files as Independent

The Democrat Party is having a bit of a membership problem on its hands right now.

In the space of just two weeks, the party has lost two prominent members in the Senate.

Senator Joe Manchin (I-W.V.) left the party as an independent, and now Senator Robert Menendez (I-N.J.) has done the same.

Time to Go

Now, Manchin is a serious loss for the Democrat Party, and he was locked into his Senate seat until he wanted to give it up.

Manchin announced this year that he would not be running for re-election, and there was a lot of speculation that he would be leaving the party to run for governor or even for president as an independent.

While Manchin’s future is up in the air, Menendez’s is a different story altogether.

Menendez is now fighting for his freedom after yet another corruption case has been brought against him.

Unlike before, authorities appear to have all their ducks lined up, so I am not sure the Dems will be as upset losing Menendez as they are about Manchin jumping ship.

Even so, Manchin could move to enter the Senate race as an independent if he thinks he can overcome these charges.

According to those close to Menendez, he has been circulating a petition to get enough signatures to add his name to the ballot.

If he is able to do that, it will send a bit of a panic attack through the Democrat Party, as Menendez still has some support in the state, possibly enough to allow Republicans to steal this seat back.

Currently, Rep. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) is the favorite in the race, but that could change if Menendez enters.

In September 2023, Menendez was charged with three federal counts related to bribery allegations to “benefit the Arab Republic of Egypt.”

Since then, several new charges have been added, but the state of New Jersey loves its corrupt politicians, so you just never know.