Did he finally see the writing on the wall? Hard to say. Throughout the latest chapter in his criminal entanglements, New Jersey Democrat Senator Bob Menendez has remained defiant, maintaining his innocence, refusing to resign the Senate seat he’s held since 2006, and, in fact, continuing to run for reelection, even switching to run as an Independent. But now, it seems the 70-year-old has finally decided to throw in the towel.
Menendez filed to run as an independent in June while his trial was underway, looking to keep his options open pending the outcome. He was convicted six weeks later and announced he would resign effective Tuesday.
Still, his continued candidacy as an independent raised the possibility that he could complicate the race between the major-party nominees, Rep. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) and Republican businessman Curtis Bashaw. Friday was the deadline for Menendez to…
