Sen. Bob Menendez — the New Jersey Democrat who got his start 50 years ago as an anti-corruption mayor but is now charged with 16 federal counts and accusations of being a foreign agent — will not run for reelection as a Democrat this year, he said Thursday.
But the state’s senior senator is still keeping the door open for an independent run.
“Unfortunately the present accusations I am facing, of which I am innocent and will prove so, will not allow me to have that type of dialogue and debate with political opponents that have already made it the cornerstone of their campaign,” Menendez said in a video. “New Jerseyans deserve better than that.”
