Sen. Bob Menendez’s indictment is already having a domino effect on New Jersey and national politics

As Sen. Bob Menendez gears up for the fight of his life, the political fallout from the indictment against him stretches from the New Jersey Statehouse to Capitol Hill.

Menendez, 69, who has been a senator since 2006, balked Monday at calls for his resignation and cast those calling for him to step down as political opportunists.

“To those who have rushed to judgment,” he said, in his first public remarks since the bribery charges were unsealed Friday, “you have done so based on a limited set of facts framed by the prosecution to be as salacious as possible.”

Menendez, a Democrat, did not explicitly launch a reelection campaign in his remarks to reporters in Hudson County on Monday morning. But he said he believed “when all the facts are presented, not only will I be exonerated but I will still be New Jersey’s senior senator.”

Several politicians in the state — including fellow Democrats — are already lining up to see that he isn’t, triggering a domino effect that will likely mean a very busy and interesting few years of congressional and local races in New Jersey. Most immediately, the indictment raises the stakes for the November general election, when Democrats want to avoid being associated with corruption as they fight to retain narrow control of the state General Assembly.

“The prism this indictment is being viewed through is damage control to get through November,” said Bill Caruso, a New Jersey public affairs consultant and former Trenton Statehouse staffer. “And then deal with the fallout of what comes next in the national cycle.”

The charges against Menendez come less than six years after he dodged conviction in a separate federal bribery case — one alleging that he accepted lavish gifts, flights on private jets, and campaign support from a Florida eye doctor. A jury deadlocked in 2017 and Menendez was later acquitted of some charges.

While New Jersey Democrats were quick to turn on Menendez this time, the party rallied behind him during his first criminal case. Fellow New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker testified as a character witness in his defense, and powerful state party leaders stood by him.

But the prior allegations against Menendez were less brazen than those detailed in the new indictment. And New Jersey’s political landscape has changed. Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy would appoint a successor should Menendez resign, whereas Republican Gov. Chris Christie was in office in 2017.

For the first time in more than a decade, Democrats are facing the possibility of losing their narrow majority in the state legislature. And there’s some calculus that Menendez’s latest legal troubles could be political poison to his party. If Republicans won a handful of close district races in November, they could take the majority in one or both houses.

“There’s concern among some Democrats this year and a prominent negative story about a statewide Democrat has the potential to impact that,” Caruso said. “And I think that’s why you’ve seen the Democratic political leaders come out so vociferously to say, ‘It’s him, not us.’”

Murphy, state Assembly Speaker Craig J. Coughlin, also a Democrat, and the chairman of the state party all quickly called on Menendez to resign. The state Democratic party chairman over the weekend convened a meeting of all county party chairs, many of whom have called for Menendez to step down.

That complicates Menendez’s chances in the 2024 Democratic primary, where county chair support is key to winning. Candidates who run “off the line” of the party get tough ballot positions and rarely win.

Still, few who know Menendez were surprised by his defiance.

“Bob’s a fighter, … he’s not a shrinking violet,” said one Democratic operative. “He’s likely infuriated knowing the governor and the power structure is not behind him, and right now I think it’s probably premature for him to resign from his perspective, because all he has is leverage in his Senate seat.”

Within 24 hours of the indictment, U.S. Rep. Andy Kim, (D., Burlington) announced his intent to challenge Menendez in the U.S. Senate race.

“The allegations are serious and alarming,” Kim wrote in a statement. “It doesn’t matter what your job title is or your politics — no one is above the law.”

Reps. Mikie Sherrill (D., Essex), Donald Norcross (D., Camden), and Josh Gottheimer (D., Bergen) may also consider jumping in.

Menendez already has one Republican challenger, and U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew, (R., Atlantic) indicated he may enter the GOP primary.

The result would have a cascading effect with the need to fill congressional vacancies across the state. But given that the indictment was just unsealed and the deadline to launch a run for Congress is in April, the field is unlikely to be set for several months.

Democrats are optimistic that even with all the political movement, the party will hold onto its congressional seats.

In 2018, Menendez’s challenger got 42% of the vote — not insignificant in a blue state like New Jersey, but well short of a close race.

Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania was the first U.S. senator to call for his colleague to resign , followed Monday by Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown. The Senate is traditionally protective and supportive of its members, and Democrats are fighting to protect their slim majority in the chamber next year — even if Menendez’s seat would almost certainly be filled by a Democrat.

Fetterman said Menendez is “entitled to the presumption of innocence under our system, but he is not entitled to continue to wield influence over national policy, especially given the serious and specific nature of the allegations.”

Several other Democrats have condemned the behavior outlined in the indictment in interviews and on social media. But they’ve stopped short of calling for Menendez to resign, saying the legal process should play out and voters should decide.

Booker, New Jersey’s junior senator, has been notably silent.

Senate Republicans have also stayed quiet, though criticism from the GOP could be seen as somewhat contradictory given that former President Donald Trump is running for reelection as he faces multiple indictments.

“They risk tripping on their own message,” Caruso said. “It’d be a little hypocritical if they were like, ‘We’re fine with this one but not that one.’”

Staff writer Jeremy Roebuck contributed to this article.