Rep. Andy Kim (D-NJ) announced he will run for Sen. Bob Menendez‘s (D-NJ) seat after Menendez vowed not to resign despite being indicted on bribery charges on Friday.
Kim said he feels “compelled to run against him” because New Jersey “deserves better,” in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Saturday.
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After calls to resign, Senator Menendez said “I am not going anywhere.” As a result, I feel compelled to run against him. Not something I expected to do, but NJ deserves better. We cannot jeopardize the Senate or compromise our integrity. Please join me:https://t.co/QFIaMsgJc9
— Andy Kim (@AndyKimNJ) September 23, 2023
“After calls to resign, Senator Menendez said, ‘I am not going anywhere.’ As a result, I feel compelled to run against him. Not something I expected to do, but NJ deserves better. We cannot jeopardize the Senate or compromise our integrity,” Kim posted.
Kim was one of several Garden State Democrats, including Gov. Phil Murphy (D-NJ), to call for Menendez to resign after the indictment was unsealed on Friday.
“These allegations are serious and alarming. It doesn’t matter what your job title is or your politics — no one in America is above the law. The people of New Jersey absolutely need to know the truth of what happened, and I hope the judicial system works thoroughly and quickly to bring this truth to light,” Kim said.
Despite mounting calls from leaders to resign, Menendez was defiant and said in a statement Friday that he has no plans to leave office.
“Those who believe in justice believe in innocence until proven guilty. I intend to continue to fight for the people of New Jersey with the same success I’ve had for the past five decades,” Menendez said in a statement.
“This is the same record of success these very same leaders have lauded all along. It is not lost on me how quickly some are rushing to judge a Latino and push him out of his seat. I am not going anywhere,” he added.
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The Department of Justice unsealed the indictment against the New Jersey Democrat on Friday, which included images of gold bars and cash in Menendez’s possession. His bribery charges are in connection to an allegedly corrupt relationship with three businessmen from New Jersey.
Menendez has served as a senator from the Garden State since 2006 and will be up for reelection in 2024. The senator’s last election, in 2018, came shortly after his corruption charges from 2015 were dropped.
