![]() ![]() Menendez, a former mayor of New Jersey’s Union City, is still favored in the race. Chris Christie (R) that has raised over $2 million since February, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission (FEC). And he will have more reinforcements from Integrity NJ, a super PAC with ties to former New Jersey Gov. The former Celgene CEO has given $15 million of his own money to his campaign. Menendez, who previously served in the House, saw an early sign of voter disapproval after winning the June primary by a lower-than-expected 62 percent of the vote, while his little-known Democratic challenger, who reported no fundraising numbers, garnered 38 percent.Īnd in Hugin, Menendez faces a challenger with deep pockets. ![]() ![]() A little over half of voters polled said that Menendez’s trial will either somewhat or heavily impact their vote, while 35 percent said it wouldn’t. The Gravis poll also found that 50 percent disapprove of Menendez and only 40 percent approve. That shows an even tighter margin than a May poll from Fairleigh Dickinson, which had Menendez up by 4 points - and it contrasts sharply with surveys from earlier this year that had the Democratic senator leading by double digits. A Gravis Marketing poll released Monday found Menendez leading Hugin by just 2 points, 43 percent to 41 percent, with 16 percent of those polled still undecided. Still, the legal case has dogged Menendez. Menendez has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in the case, declaring that he’s been vindicated with the dropped charges. Menendez violated the law, abused the power of his office, disgraced the Senate,” Hugin said in an interview with Fox News on Wednesday. “Senate Ethics Committee Democrats and Republicans, Sen. In 2015, the longtime staple of New Jersey and Washington politics was indicted on bribery and fraud charges over allegations he traded influence in exchange for gifts from a longtime friend who is a Florida ophthalmologist and political donor.īut his trial ended in a hung jury and federal prosecutors dropped the charges, although the Senate Ethics Committee “severely” admonished Menendez in April for his relationship with the donor and friend. Hugin has been highlighting Menendez’s corruption charges in the campaign. “The advertising that Bob Hugin has put into the race has been effective in terms of swaying public opinion,” said Brigid Callahan Harrison, a longtime political observer in New Jersey and political science professor at Montclair State University.īut Harrison said the impact would be “temporary,” believing Menendez’s support would likely “bounce back” as he spends more on advertising. They will likely need to hold on to all those seats and pick up two more to retake the Senate. Senate Democrats are defending 25 seats in the Senate this campaign cycle, with 10 of those in states where Trump won in 2016, compared to Republicans who only need to protect eight seats. Hugin, who served in the Marines decades ago, still faces a big uphill fight in a state that hasn’t elected a Republican to the Senate since 1972 and that President Trump lost by 14 points in 2016.īut Hugin’s willingness to heavily fund his own campaign, including through advertisements attacking Menendez, coupled with millions in outside money pouring in, could give the New Jersey senator his toughest fight to date in a state Democrats had been counting on for an easy win. While he remains a big favorite in the New Jersey race, the legal case has dented Menendez’s approval ratings, and a recent poll showed a very tight race against his Republican opponent Bob Hugin, a former CEO of pharmaceutical company Celgene Corp. Menendez, the ranking member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is seeking a third term in the Senate after federal prosecutors dropped charges of corruption against him earlier this year. ![]() Bob Menendez is facing a tough challenge from a big-money Republican who is sinking more than $15 million in a bid to unseat the Democrat in deep-blue New Jersey. ![]()
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