--- title: Corruption-Charged New Jersey Sen. Menendez to Run for Reelection as Independent description: The move could be costly for Democrats trying to hold on to what has been seen as a safe Senate seat: Menendez could play the role of spoiler if a significant chunk of voters stick with him. canonical: https://time.com/6985279/bob-menendez-independent-campaign-senate-new-jersey-democratic-seat-risk/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2024-06-04T02:30:00.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-24T17:43:18.887Z article:section: Politics og:title: Corruption-Charged New Jersey Sen. Menendez to Run for Reelection as Independent og:description: The move could be costly for Democrats trying to hold on to what has been seen as a safe Senate seat: Menendez could play the role of spoiler if a significant chunk of voters stick with him. og:url: https://time.com/6985279/bob-menendez-independent-campaign-senate-new-jersey-democratic-seat-risk/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4c5cd1a12dcdf1ac/698a578cdb2987792d26bbb3/bob-menendez.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: U.S.Senator Bob Menendez og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Corruption-Charged New Jersey Sen. Menendez to Run for Reelection as Independent twitter:description: The move could be costly for Democrats trying to hold on to what has been seen as a safe Senate seat: Menendez could play the role of spoiler if a significant chunk of voters stick with him. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4c5cd1a12dcdf1ac/698a578cdb2987792d26bbb3/bob-menendez.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # With Independent Bid, Corruption-Charged Sen. Menendez Puts Safe Democratic Seat at Risk > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. 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Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. It reaches 85,000 subscribers with a 37.0% open rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. by [Steven T. Dennis and Erik Wasson / Bloomberg](https://time.com/author/bloomberg/) ## Steven T. Dennis and Erik Wasson / Bloomberg Contributor Jun 4, 2024 2:30 AM UTC  Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., arrives at federal court in New York on June 3, 2024. Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., arrives at federal court in New York on June 3, 2024. Yuki Iwamura—Bloomberg/Getty Images by [Steven T. Dennis and Erik Wasson / Bloomberg](https://time.com/author/bloomberg/) ## Steven T. Dennis and Erik Wasson / Bloomberg Contributor Jun 4, 2024 2:30 AM UTC New Jersey Democrat Bob Menendez filed to run for reelection as an independent on Monday, a move that could be costly for Democrats trying to hold on to what has been a safe Senate seat. Menendez, who is on trial in New York on corruption charges, could play the role of spoiler if a significant chunk of voters stick with him. Although Democrats are still favored to hold on to the New Jersey Senate seat, a Menendez candidacy could force the party to spend more money there when the party already is on defense nationally. **_Get alerts on the biggest breaking news stories_** [**_here_**](https://cloud.newsletters.time.com/signup?nln=breaking-news)**_._** New Jersey Republicans and Democrats hold their primaries on Tuesday but Menendez isn’t on the ballot. Democratic Representative Andy Kim is widely expected to succeed Menendez. The senator’s filing appeared on the New Jersey Department of State’s website on Monday. His party is listed as “Menendez for Senate.” Senator Gary Peters of Michigan, who’s running the Senate Democrats’ campaign operation, dismissed the notion that Menendez’ decision could hurt the party’s candidate, saying “the Democrat is going to win.” But his Republican counterpart, Steve Daines of Montana, smiled and quipped: “Keep your eye on New Jersey.” Senator Cory Booker, a New Jersey Democrat, called his colleague “a tremendous senator for the state of New Jersey when it comes to delivering results” and a good partner, but said the focus now should be on the trial, not November. “He deserves a fair trial, where he gets to be judged by a jury of his peers,” Booker said. Menendez, 70, has pleaded not guilty, and his defense has blamed his wife, Nadine, for withholding information from him about gold bars and other items federal prosecutors say were bribes to the senator for assorted official acts. **Read More:** [_The Long, Sordid History of Foreign Governments Courting Members of Congress_](https://time.com/6981957/foreign-interference-lobbying-history/) Menendez, who was first elected in 2005, stepped down as chair of the Foreign Relations Committee after his indictment but continues to vote and attend classified briefings and committee hearings in the Senate. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has criticized Menendez’ conduct, saying it fell far below the standard of a U.S. senator, but has refused to address whether Menendez should face expulsion, be denied access to briefings or otherwise punished. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/6985279/bob-menendez-independent-campaign-senate-new-jersey-democratic-seat-risk/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/6985279/bob-menendez-independent-campaign-senate-new-jersey-democratic-seat-risk/"},"headline":"With Independent Bid, Corruption-Charged Sen. 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