As we enter the home stretch of what could be a fight for control of the New Jersey legislature this year, Republicans are unsurprisingly calling for U.S. Senator Bob Menendez to resign and turning his indictment into a campaign issue.
“I am calling for the immediate resignation of Senator Menendez and imploring Democrats to join me to protect the interests of all Americans and New Jerseyans from this corrupt politician,” said Assembly Minority Leader John DiMaio. “This will be a real litmus test for New Jersey’s Democrat leaders. These are serious charges, and it’s not the first time the senator has been accused of criminal activity. It’s time for him to go and for Democrats to do the right thing.”
Republican candidates in some of the state’s most competitive districts quickly joined DiMaio in seeking Menendez’s resignation.
In the Monmouth-based 11th district, State Senate candidate Steve Dnistrian and Assemblywomen Kim Eulner (R-Shrewsbury) and Marilyn Piperno (R-Colts Neck), are calling on Menendez to resign while also bringing Menendez’s relationship with State Sen. Vin Gopal (D-Long Branch) into focus.
“Not only has Senator Menendez given the people of our state reason to doubt his integrity before with his earlier corruption trial, but he has also now compounded those concerns with even more damning charges,” they said. “From Menendez to State Senator Vin Gopal, who voted to eliminate mandatory minimums for public corruption, Democrats at every level have abused the public trust.”
The Republicans want Gopal “to also encourage his friend and colleague to step aside for the good of our state.”
Similarly, 4th district GOP candidates Christopher Del Borrello, who is seeking to flip an open State Senate seat, and Assembly candidates Matt Walker and Amanda Esposito, are already making Menendez a campaign issue.
“We challenge Paul Moriarty, his running mates, and the leaders of the Democratic Party in Camden, Gloucester, and Atlantic Counties to immediately and publicly join with us today and call for the resignation of our hopelessly corrupt U.S. Senator Bob Menendez,” they said in a joint statement. “The fact that one of New Jersey’s two U.S. Senators has spent the majority of his last two terms either under criminal investigation or criminal indictment is an embarrassment. Menendez is as crooked as the day is long, and hopefully, the Justice Department finally brings his career-long crime spree to an end.”
State Sen. Ed Durr (R-Logan), who is trying to hold the Senate seat he won in an upset victory against Senate President Steve Sweeney to years ago, also wants Menendez to go.
“Bob Menendez is everything people in New Jersey hate about politicians,” Durr said in a join statement with Assemblywoman Bethanne McCarthy Patrick (R-Mannington) and her running mate, Thomas Tedesco. “We send these Democrats to Washington and Trenton to protect us; yet all they do is sell out the office and quite literally line their own pockets with cash.”
The 3rd district Republicans are also trying to tie Menendez to Democrat John Burzichelli (D-Paulsboro), a former assemblyman who is seeking oust Durr.
“Burzichelli has sold out South Jersey for years and even voted against mandatory minimum sentences for public corruption just like what has been alleged here,” the GOP candidates said “We challenge him to dig deep and muster what should be a tiny amount of courage to join us in calling on Menendez to resign. Failure to do so should morally implicate them in all of Menendez’s crimes.”
Republicans in the 16th district are also calling on Menendez to resign, while also criticizing their opponents’ past stance on public corruption.
“Senator Menendez’s actions not only indicate his lack of integrity but shows his complete disregard for our constitution and total disrespect for the people of New Jersey. We are disgusted and call for his immediate resignation,” State Senate candidate Michael Pappas and Assembly candidates Ross Traphagen and Grace Zhang said in a joint statement. “Separately, shame on Senator Andrew Zwicker and Assemblyman Roy Freiman for their votes to reduce mandatory minimum sentencing for public corruption.”
Micheline Attieh, Gail Horton, and Barry Wilkes, who are running in the 38th district, want Democratic incumbents to join them in demanding Menendez’s ouster. “It is unacceptable that Senator Menendez has continued to embarrass us and abuse our trust while representing the people of our state. To restore our faith in our elected leadership, Senator Menendez should resign,” they said. “We call on Senator Joe Lagana and Assemblymembers Chris Tully and Lisa Swain to immediately disavow this despicable behavior.”
This story was updated at 3:22 PM with comment from the 16th district GOP candidates and at 4:14 PM with comnment from the 38th district candidates.
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