Feisty and sounding like a candidate, Menendez throws an elbow at Andy Kim

Increasingly looking like he plans to seek re-election next year despite his indictment on federal corruption charges, U.S. Senator Bob Menendez tonight touted a better record of fighting for New Jersey than any other candidate who wants his seat.

“To those who have rushed to judgment all in the name of political expediency, I’ll gladly put up my record of success on behalf of the people of New Jersey against Andy Kim or anyone else,” Menendez said following Kim’s formal launch of his bid for the Democratic U.S. Senate nomination in 2024.

The “anyone else” is likely a reference to First Lady Tammy Murphy, who is expected to announce her candidacy for the U.S. Senate on Wednesday.

Menendez, who faces charges of bribery, conspiracy, and acting as an unregistered agent for a foreign government while serving as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has suddenly become more aggressive toward New Jersey Democratic leaders seeking his resignation.

That’s very much a sign of the old Bob Menendez – scrappy, confident, and unwavering in his willingness to punch political rivals in the race.

Signaling that he’s prepared to get aggressive with anyone who makes an early endorsement of one of his opponents, his chief of staff, Jason Tuber,  slammed former Gov. Richard J. Codey for publicly supporting Murphy.

Kim, a three-term congressman who worked in the Obama White House, announced his primary challenge to Menendez on September 23, one day after the Justice Department unsealed an indictment against the three-term U.S. Senator.

“I’m used to tough fights and next year won’t be any different,” Menendez said.  “I am confident that when all the facts have been presented and my innocence proven, I’ll continue to do what I’ve always done for the past 30-plus years — delivering results for hardworking New Jersey families and small businesses across the state, fighting for the little guy, and giving a voice to the voiceless.”

Kim spoke to supporters at the Double Nickel Brewing Co. in Pennsauken, where he began an uphill bid to challenge two-term Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-Toms River) in 2018.

“The energy we saw tonight – communities from across our state coming together – shows that Democrats are fired up about bringing change to this Senate seat,” Kim said.  “They want integrity over corruption. They want someone who understands and will fight for them, not just the well-connected and well-off. That’s what this campaign is about, and I’m excited to get to work.”