Who will replace disgraced Sen. Bob Menendez? Who is Rep. Andy Kim?
NJ Now: Menendez found guilty on all counts
Senator Robert Menendez was found guilty on all counts in his federal corruption trial, former President Donald Trump accepted the Republican Nomination at the RNC in the aftermath of his assassination attempt, and NJ Transit continues to experience problems in the wake of a 15% rate hike. The panel includes Republican State Senator Holly Schepisi, Democratic Strategist Brendan Gill, Dan Cassino of the Fairleigh Dickinson University Poll, and Brent Johnson, Political Reporter for NJ Advance Media to discuss the latest.
NEW JERSEY - After being convicted of taking bribes for corrupt acts, including acting as an agent of the Egyptian government, U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez announced his resignation from office.
On Aug. 20, the disgraced senator's seat will be officially empty unless Democrats appoint someone to serve the remainder of his term.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has said that he would exercise his duty to make a temporary appointment to the seat. However, he did not say who that would be.
The candidate would take office until Jan. 3, when the term expires.
Who replaces Bob Menendez?
New Jersey law allows the governor to appoint a senator to fill the vacancy, though it’s not required.
"I will exercise my duty to make a temporary appointment to ensure the people of New Jersey have the representation they deserve," Murphy said.
Menendez, 70, was convicted of charges that he sold the power of his office to three New Jersey businessmen who sought a variety of favors. Prosecutors said Menendez used his influence to meddle in three different state and federal criminal investigations to protect his associates.
The Democratic Party has already nominated Rep. Andy Kim as its candidate in November, but it's unclear where Murphy stands on the idea.
Experts seemed to have narrowed it down to two possibilities.
Murphy could tap Kim so that he gains seniority ahead of a possible victory in a deeply Democratic New Jersey.
Or, he could appoint his wife, first lady Tammy Murphy, who had launched a campaign for Menendez’s seat but dropped out after it became clear she faced a contentious battle against Kim.
Micah Rasmussen, the director of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics at Rider University says choosing his wife would be a political "non-starter."
During Tammy Murphy's campaign, Gov. Murphy said that he didn’t see a scenario where he would appoint her to the seat (AP).
Who is Tammy Murphy?
New Jersey first lady Tammy Murphy announced her run for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in November 2023.
"We need a senator who will work every single day to lower the cost of living, protect abortion rights, end the gun violence epidemic, and defend our democracy," she said in a roughly four-minute-long video posted online.
Months later, in March, she suspended her U.S. Senate campaign amid speculation that U.S. Rep. Andy Kim would win the Democratic primary.
She claimed she did not want to engage in a negative campaign against a fellow Democrat.
If she was chosen, she would be the first woman elected to the Senate from New Jersey.
Who is Andy Kim?
Democratic Rep. Andy Kim, a three-term congressman, won New Jersey’s Senate primary in June, putting him in a strong position for the general election.
His victory came after a bruising battle between him and first lady Tammy Murphy began to take shape.
Kim, 41, is a native of southern New Jersey and returned to his home state in 2018 to run for Congress, defeating Republican Tom MacArthur in the 3rd District.
A Rhodes Scholar, Kim served in the Obama administration as a national security adviser, working at the departments of State and Defense as well as the National Security Council.
WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 17: Representative Andy Kim, (D-NJ), speaks during a House Small Business Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Friday, July 17, 2020. The hearing is titled "Oversight of the Small Business Administration and Departmen (Getty Images)
Kim’s entrance into the race stemmed in part from the federal corruption charges in New York against the incumbent Menendez, who declined this year to seek re-election as a Democrat.
He gained recognition for helping clean up the Capitol after the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, launching his bid the day after Menendez’s indictment, saying it was time for the state to move on.
What if there is a vacancy?
It's worth noting, Republicans haven’t won a Senate seat in more than five decades in New Jersey, and Democrats have expressed confidence in Kim.
Therefore, the likeliness of the seat remaining empty, seems doubtful.
It's still unclear who the Gov. Murphy will support less than a month from Menendez's official end date.
Menendez faces the possibility of decades in prison. A judge scheduled his sentencing for Oct. 29, a week before the election.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.