Menendez Loses the Senate

[Celerity]

https://prospect.org/blogs-and-newsletters/tap/2023-09-26-menendez-loses-the-senate/



The dam officially burst for Robert Menendez’s chances of political survival at around 11:16 a.m. Eastern time on Tuesday, when his New Jersey Senate colleague Cory Booker posted on X: “The details of the allegations against Senator Menendez are of such a nature that the faith and trust of New Jerseyans as well as those he must work with in order to be effective have been shaken to the core … I believe stepping down is best for those Senator Menendez has spent his life serving.”

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Until this point, Booker was practically the only holdout among New Jersey Democratic elected officials on the question of whether Menendez should resign. The indictment on operatic allegations of hundreds of thousands of dollars in gifts and bribes (including with gold bars) from an Egyptian businessman and his associates in exchange for various official actions is so over the top that even New Jersey’s less-than-scrupulous Democratic machine bosses have mostly ditched him. Booker himself actually testified as a character witness in Menendez’s first public corruption case, which ended in a mistrial. “It’s almost an understatement to say he was just a partner,” Booker said in that trial, describing Menendez as a mentor and calling him “honest and trustworthy.”

In short, if Menendez has lost Booker, he doesn’t have very many friends left in Democratic politics. Yet, against all odds, he still may survive this onslaught of pressure, especially if Democrats split the field against him in next June’s Senate primary. If Menendez digs in and gets multiple challengers, he could take enough of a sliver of the vote to prevail. As of now, only one challenger, Rep. Andy Kim of South Jersey, has jumped into the race. But many more are circling.Booker is one of 18 Senate Democrats to ask for Menendez’s resignation, which would make the primary calculations a whole lot easier. Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) was way out in front over the weekend, and on Monday Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Peter Welch (D-VT) followed suit. But Tuesday was the real day of reckoning.

It started with Democratic incumbents in potentially tough re-election races next year: Jon Tester (D-MT), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Bob Casey (D-PA). It escalated with Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Martin Heinrich (D-NM). Numerous House members had joined the chorus, including most of the New Jersey delegation and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). Then Booker made it safe for everyone else. As Demand Progress policy director Daniel Schuman noted, there’s now a “Booker line” among Senate Democrats: Anyone who called for Menendez’s resignation before Booker showed real leadership, and anyone afterward is piling on late. After Booker, Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Ed Markey (D-MA), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) were among those latecomers.

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[Elessar Zappa]

1. He better not cost us a safe, blue seat.

He needs to do the right thing and resign.