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Menendez will file independent re-election bid [1]

['David Wildstein']

Date: 2024-06-03 14:30:13+00:00

The New Jersey Globe has learned that Bob Menendez will enter the race for the United States Senate today, filing nominating petitions with over 2,000 signatures in Trenton to seek re-election to a fourth term as an independent.

Menendez will not deliver the petitions himself; he is in Lower Manhattan for the twelfth day of his federal corruption trial. He will have a friend deliver them to the state Division of Elections.

The filing deadline is June 4 at 4 PM.

The New Jersey Globe first reported that Menendez is circulating petitions – in some cases gathering signatures on his own. He also activated a group of old friends from his 1980s campaigns, including Matteo Perez, Sr., to help him. NBC News reported last week that Menendez had obtained the 800 signatures he needed.

The New Jersey Globe has confirmed that Menendez has no campaign staff and is managing his own race.

Four days before the March 26 filing deadline, Menendez announced that he would not enter the Democratic primary but made it clear that he was considering a re-election campaign as an independent Democrat if a jury exonerated him.

His criminal trial is expected to last at least another four weeks, but entering the race now preserves his option to make a final decision after he knows the verdict.

Independent candidates have until August 16 to withdraw.

Menendez’s presence on the ballot – especially if he’s acquitted – has the potential to suddenly put the New Jersey Senate seat in play for the first time in 22 years.

But he would need to be north of eight percentage points – maybe more – to serve as a spoiler for Rep. Andy Kim (D-Moorestown), the likely Democratic nominee.

Kim entered the race on September 23, one day after the Justice Department unsealed its criminal indictment against Menendez.

Menendez could face challenges to his petitions, depending on how many signatures he obtained.

This story was updated at 11:45 AM with additional information about the number of signatures Menendez has secured.

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[1] Url: https://newjerseyglobe.com/congress/menendez-will-file-independent-re-election-bid/

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