Indicted Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) turned in his campaign paperwork to state elections officials on Monday as he prepares to defend his New Jersey Senate seat as an independent.
“Today, I submitted well above the threshold of signatures required to run for re-election,” the embattled New Jersey Democrat wrote in a Facebook post formally announcing his third-party bid as he stands trial on federal corruption charges.
“The people of this great state deserve a leader in Washington with a proven track record of fighting tooth and nail to deliver results, and I intend to keep doing so as an independent Democrat,” he added.
The “Menendez for Senate” campaign submitted 2,465 signatures to the New Jersey Division of Elections, well over the 800 signatures needed on the petition for ballot access.
“It displeases me to have to go this route, thanks to overzealous prosecutors, but I will do what must be done to continue to uphold my oath of office for my constituents,” Menendez said.
The six-term senator also expressed confidence that he will be found not guilty at trial.
“Despite what is portrayed in the press, my innocence continues to be laid out in court,” he wrote. “As I have said before; I have committed no crime. I am more confident than ever that New Jerseyans and the rest of the American public will see me exonerated of what I am being accused of, and I will be re-elected to the Senate once again.”
Menendez, 70, opted against running in the June 4 Democratic primary, which is expected to be won by progressive Rep. Andy Kim (D-NJ).
Polls have shown that if Menendez is able to qualify, his support would cut into Kim’s margin over the Republican nominee in a three-way race.
Mendham Borough Mayor Christine Serrano Glassner and developer Curtis Bashaw are among the GOP candidates competing for the nomination in Tuesday’s primary.
Menendez is currently on trial in Manhattan federal court for allegedly accepting bribes of more than $600,000 in cash and gold bars in exchange for favors to three wealthy New Jersey businessmen.
He has also been accused of acting as a foreign agent while in a leadership position on the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, from which he has since stepped down, to benefit the governments of Egypt and Qatar.
Menendez has pleaded not guilty to the charges and claimed he is innocent, and his attorneys have tried to claim his wife and co-defendant Nadine inherited the gold bars from her Lebanese family and stashed them at the couple’s home without his knowledge.
“I look forward to putting these accusations behind me and getting back to work for my constituents,” Menendez said Monday.
