U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez running for reelection in New Jersey as independent

TRENTON, N.J. — U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat who is on trial on federal bribery charges, filed paperwork Monday to run as an independent for a fourth term.

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According to the New Jersey Division of Elections’ website, Menendez’s petition to run as an independent candidate was filed Monday and had nearly 2,500 signatures, CBS News reported. The 70-year-old needed 800 signatures to gain ballot access.

Asked on his way into court Monday if he was changing political parties, Menendez told reporters in Spanish, “No, independent doesn’t mean I’m changing,” according to The Associated Press.

Menendez was indicted in September, NJ.com reported. He announced in March he would not run in this year’s primary for the Democratic nomination for the seat he has held since 2006.

His trial in New York is likely to last for at least another month, according to The New York Times.

Rep. Andy Kim, the Democratic front-runner for Menendez’s seat and a three-term congressman, criticized the decision.

“Everyone knows Bob Menendez isn’t running for NJ families,” Kim wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “He’s running for himself. People are fed up with politicians putting their own personal benefit ahead of what’s right for the country.”

Menendez has resisted political pressure to resign, CBS News reported.

“Unfortunately, the present accusations I am facing, of which I am innocent and will prove so, will not allow me to have that type of dialogue and debate with political opponents that have already made it the cornerstone of their campaign,” Menendez has said.

Several Republicans are competing for the party’s nomination in Tuesday’s Senate primary, according to the Times. The GOP has not won a Senate election in New Jersey since 1972, the AP reported.

Prosecutors have portrayed Menendez as a “corrupt” politician who “put his power up for sale” in the pursuit of lucrative bribes that involved the governments of Qatar and Egypt, according to the Times. He is being tried along with two New Jersey businessmen -- Wael Hana, owner of the halal meat company IS EG Halal; and Fred Daibes, a real estate developer.

All three have pleaded not guilty.

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