In rare move, Sen. Fetterman endorses Menendez’s rival. ‘Anything would be an upgrade’

For months, Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania has called on Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey — his Democratic colleague — to resign after allegations of corruption. Now, Fetterman has gone one step further and endorsed one of Menendez’s rivals.

In a rare move, Fetterman threw his support behind Andy Kim, a Democratic congressman from New Jersey who is running for Menendez’s Senate seat, according to The New York Times.

“Anything would be an upgrade over Menendez,” Fetterman, the first senator to publicly weigh in on the race, told the Times.

About a half-dozen candidates, including Menendez, Kim and New Jersey first lady Tammy Murphy, are running in the state’s Democratic primary, scheduled for June 4, according to Ballotpedia.

“One of the most important things is that we have a reliable Democratic vote,” Fetterman told the Times. “We have to run this table in ’24 in order to maintain the majority. But we need to count on every Democratic vote. Andy Kim is the kind of guy we can count on.”

In a statement provided to McClatchy News, Menendez said Fetterman’s endorsement was out of line.

“Just as Fetterman railed against the possibility of a New Jerseyan representing Pennsylvania in the Senate, the people of New Jersey do not want the freshman senator from Pennsylvania, who hasn’t distinguished himself in any way, meddling in our state politics.”

Menendez seems to be referencing Fetterman’s comments about Mehmet Oz, made during the 2022 race for his Senate seat.

Fetterman’s endorsement comes on the heels of a monthslong public feud with Menendez, who was indicted on bribery charges in September. He is accused of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars, including gold bars and a Mercedes Benz, in exchange for agreeing to assist the Egyptian government.

“How can you allow somebody like Menendez to remain in the Senate?” Fetterman told ABC’s The View in December.

“Menendez, I think, is really a senator for Egypt, not New Jersey,” Fetterman told the program.

Menendez, who has maintained his innocence, has pushed back against Fetterman’s calls for him to step aside.

“Mr. Fetterman appears to think he’s judge, jury, and executioner,” Menendez said in a statement previously provided to McClatchy News.

“I’m confident when all the facts are presented,” Menendez added, “I will be exonerated and the Senator will have to eat his words.”

Menendez’ corruption trial is slated to begin on May 6, just weeks before the Garden State’s Democratic primary, according to the New Jersey Monitor.

In an October poll of Democratic primary voters, Menendez received just 9% of support, while Kim garnered 48% support. The poll, conducted by Data For Progress, sampled 551 New Jersey voters and had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

This story was originally published January 18, 2024 at 8:35 AM with the headline "In rare move, Sen. Fetterman endorses Menendez’s rival. ‘Anything would be an upgrade’."