Democratic New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez notched just 9% support for his party’s upcoming primary after receiving a slew of bribery charges, according to a Friday poll.
Multiple Democrats launched challenges against the embattled senator following his first indictment in late September over allegedly receiving lavish gifts in return for political sway in the upper chamber. Menendez polled in third place behind Democratic Rep. Andy Kim with 32% and New Jersey First Lady Tammy Murphy with 20%, while the senator inched out ahead of political activist Patricia Campos Medina by 1 point, according to a Fairleigh Dickinson University survey.
The poll is the first independently conducted public survey of the cycle for the primary on June 4, according to FiveThirtyEight’s compilation. (RELATED: ‘A Free For All’: Challengers Lining Up To Take On Bob Menendez)
Numerous Democrats in the Senate and in his home state have called on Menendez to resign, but the senator has insisted he isn’t going anywhere. Menendez, who has yet to announce whether he’ll seek another term, did temporarily step down from his position as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Menendez later received two superseding indictments adding more bribery allegations, as well as an accusation that he was acting as a foreign agent to Egypt. The senator has maintained his innocence of all charges.
US Representative-elect Andy Kim (D-NJ) reacts after drawing a number during an office lottery for new members of Congress on Capitol Hill November 30, 2018 in Washington, DC. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
The senator raised only $103,900 in the fourth fundraising quarter of 2023, but entered the election year with nearly $6.2 million on hand, according to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) filing released Wednesday.
Kim brought in $1.8 million during the same time frame, and reported $2.7 million in hard dollars. Murphy raised $3.2 million in the final quarter of 2023, and had $2.7 million in campaign cash going into the election year, according to the FEC filing.
The Fairleigh Dickinson University poll surveyed 504 likely Democratic primary voters in New Jersey from Jan. 21 to Jan. 28 with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5%.
The campaigns for Menendez, Kim, Murphy and Campos Medina did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s requests for comment.
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