Dormant campaign gives hints of Sen. Menendez future

Plagued by legal trouble and abandoned by his allies, Sen. Bob Menendez has made clear what he will not do: quit before his term is over in January.

He has taken to the Senate floor to profess that he is innocent of what he insists are trumped-up bribery charges pursued by overzealous federal prosecutors. And he has ignored widespread, sometimes mocking calls for his resignation.

But when it comes to whether Menendez, D-N.J., intends to seek reelection, he has been uncharacteristically coy.

“I don’t think announcing it in a courtroom would be the best idea,” he said after being arraigned Monday in New York for the third time on charges that he participated in a yearslong bribery conspiracy.

The vacuum has been filled by a swirl of rumors in New Jersey and Washington, and contradictory news media reports. The New York Post, for example, reported last week that Menendez would not run for reelection. Then, on Thursday, NBC News wrote that he might still run — as a political independent.

Both cited information from anonymous sources that Menendez did not directly deny or confirm. “When I decide to declare whatever my path is, I will do it then,” he told NBC. On Friday, a spokesperson for Menendez declined to comment.

Whatever he decides, Menendez has virtually no path to a fourth term. His party has abandoned him at home. Key staff members vital to any serious campaign have all quit, including his longtime political adviser.

“As a rule, it’s never wise to conclude that a candidate has no chance of success,” said Robert Torricelli, a former Democratic senator from New Jersey. “This is the exception.”

But running for office might offer advantages that have little to do with winning another term. By leaving the door open to reelection, Menendez is able to continue raising campaign funds that can be used to pay the two prominent law firms hired.

He badly needs the cash. Menendez drained about $2.3 million from his campaign account for legal fees.