New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez to run for reelection as independent

washington – Senator Bob Menendez, a Democrat from New Jersey, decided to seek re-election as an independent at his trial in federal bribery charges It’s on the way.

According to the New Jersey Division of Elections website, his petition to run as an independent candidate was filed on Monday and had nearly 2,500 signatures. Menéndez needed 800 signatures to gain access to the ballot box.

Menendez announced in March that he would not run in the Democratic primary amid allegations that he used his political influence to help three New Jersey businessmen and the governments of Egypt and Qatar. In return, Menéndez and his wife, Nadinereceived money, gold barsa Mercedes convertible, mortgage payments and other gifts, according to prosecutors.

The three-term senator resisted intense political pressure to resign and left the door open in his March announcement to run as an independent if he were exonerated this summer.

“Unfortunately, the current accusations I face, of which I am innocent and will prove, will not allow me to have this type of dialogue and debate with political opponents who have already made this the cornerstone of their campaign,” Menendez said in A Hora.

The registration deadline to run as an independent is Tuesday, but candidates have until August 16 to drop out of the race and avoid appearing on the ballot, so if Menendez were convicted before then, he could end his candidacy in time to withdraw his name of the vote.

Menendez’s trial could last another month.

Prosecutors portrayed Menendez as a “corrupt” politician who “put your power for sale” in the search for lucrative bribes, detailing a complex scheme that involved a halal meat monopolythe Egyptian and Qatari governments and several criminal investigations.

Menéndez is on trial alongside two New Jersey businessmen – Wael Hana, owner of halal meat company IS EG Halal, and Fred Daibes, a real estate developer. All three pleaded not guilty.

A third indicted businessman, José Uribe, pleaded guilty in March and confessed to having bought Menendez’s wife a $60,000 Mercedes to influence the senator.

During Menéndez’s trial, his lawyer attributed the blame to his wife, who is undergoing treatment for breast cancer and is expected to be tried later this summer. Nadine Menendez kept her husband in the dark about her financial challenges and her relationships with businesspeople, the senator’s lawyer argued during opening statements. His lawyers claimed that the gold bars seized from the couple’s home belonged to Nadine Menendez, and the senator did not have the key to the locked cabinet where they were discovered. Nadine Menendez also pleaded not guilty.

After the initial indictment was revealed in September, Menendez was abandoned by Democratic allies, including New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, who appeared as a witness in Menendez’s first federal bribery trial in 2017, which ended in a mistrial.

Booker told CBS News last month that he was “not paying attention” to Menéndez’s potential run as an independent.

“I asked him to resign and resign,” Booker said. “He deserves, at this point, a fair trial. He deserves the presumption of innocence like everyone else.”

Primary polls, some of which included Menendez before he made the decision not to run as a Democrat, showed Rep. Andy Kim defeating his Democratic opponents. Kim was the first member of New Jersey’s congressional delegation to call for Menéndez’s resignation.

“Americans are tired of politicians putting their personal benefit ahead of what is right for the country. Everyone knows Bob Menendez isn’t running for the people of New Jersey, he’s doing it for himself. stepping up to restore integrity in the U.S. Senate,” Kim said in a statement Monday.

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., told reporters Monday that he was “certainly” concerned that the embattled senator would jeopardize Democrats’ ability to hold onto the seat with his third-party candidacy.

“I’m not sure he’s ready to take my advice,” Durbin said.

Menendez has spent nearly $4.9 million in campaign funds on legal fees since October, according to Federal Election Commission documents. He has about $3.5 million in cash and few contributions to his campaign.

His legal defense fund, which is separate from his campaign account, is bringing in more funds, although he is spending them quickly. From July 2023 to March 2024, Menendez raised more than $658,000 and had just over $112,000 left.

Nikole Killion and Laura Garrison contributed reporting.