Indicted Sen. Bob Menendez is considering running for re-election as an independent, sources say
Source: NBC News
March 14, 2024, 11:30 AM EDT / Updated March 14, 2024, 12:04 PM EDT
WASHINGTON — Indicted Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., is considering running for re-election in November as an independent, two sources who spoke with him directly tell NBC News.
Menendez, who along with his wife Nadine Menendez is facing 18 federal counts and is alleged to have accepted bribes, has not yet publicly said if he would run again this year; his term is up in January.
The powerful New Jersey Democrat stepped down from his post as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee after his initial indictment but has rejected calls to resign.
He is now making calls to allies about his record and career and is preparing to collect petitions to run in November as an independent, the sources said. If Menendez were to run as a Democrat, he would need to come up with 1,000 signatures by March 25th — so time is not on his side. But running as an independent would give him more time; in that case, he would only need 800 signatures by June 4th to qualify for the ballot. Menendez did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/sen-bob-menendez-considering-running-re-election-independent-sources-s-rcna143406
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