ICYMI: 46 YEARS LATER NEW JERSEY TO ELECT GOP SENATOR

GOP TO PICKUP NEW JERSEY SENATE SEAT | “New Jersey hasn’t sent a Republican to the U.S. Senate since 1972…but 46 years later, the GOP might be able to pick up a seat in the Garden State. Sen. Bob Menendez, a Democrat, is up for re-election, and recent polls indicate he is not very popular in his home state. Just 22 percent of adults said they view the two-term senator favorably, while 35 percent view him unfavorably. Just 33 percent approve of the job he was doing, compared to 37 percent who disapprove.” (Observer, Republicans Might Be Able to Boot Menendez and Pick Up a Senate Seat in New Jersey, 05/23/2018)

HUGIN ‘GETS IT,’ PUTS NEW JERSEY FIRST | “What’s good for New Jersey is going to be first and foremost on my mind, and there are lots of people that have good things for New Jersey. I’m going to support them very hard, whether it’s the president or anybody else,” Hugin said. “And anybody that proposes things that are not good for New Jersey, I’m going to fight them.” (Politico, In Trump country, Hugin distances himself from Trump, 05/22/2018)

IT’S ALL ABOUT NEW JERSEY FIRST WITH HUGIN | “‘It’s all about New Jersey first with me,’ Hugin said in an interview with The Jewish Link. ‘I will stand up for what’s in New Jersey’s best interest and oppose anything that’s not.’ Hugin is running as a Republican against the incumbent, Democrat Bob Menendez. Sharing different viewpoints on a number of topics, Hugin said he intends to stay true to himself and his beliefs, much of which he learned and internalized during his seven-year service in the U.S. Marine Corps.” (Jewish Link, Hugin Sets His Sights on US Senate, 05/23/2018)

BREAKING NEWS – MORE BAD NEWS FOR BAD BOB MENENDEZ

DEMOCRATS ATTACK BOB MENENDEZ | “Now it’s U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez’s turn to face unwanted attention brought on by his own party. House and Senate Democratic leaders on Monday offered a proposal to strengthen ethics laws, which immediately led Senate Republicans to call out Menendez, D-N.J. … The Democratic proposals focused on ethics. ‘Democrats believe all government officials — including the president — should comply with a stringent set of ethical guidelines that ensure they are free from all conflicts of interest,’ the proposals said. ” (NJ.com, Democratic ethics proposals spur attacks on Democrat Bob Menendez, 05/22/2018)

ETHICS COMMITTEE: PAY IT BACK, BOB! | “But the committee provided no time frame for Menendez (D-N.J.) to amend the reports or for the repayments, nor did it detail exactly how much he has to pay back.”  (Politico, “Ethics panel gives Menendez wide latitude for repayment of gifts from Melgen,” 05/18/2018)

VOTERS SOUR ON POLITICIANS WHO BREAK THE LAW |  “…Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez, whose approval rating remains lackluster after surviving a month-and-a-half federal corruption trial when the jury deadlocked, then receiving an admonishment from the Ethics Committee, which said he broke federal law. (Politico Playbook,  What About Bob?, 05/22/2018)

MORE DISAPPROVE THAN APPROVE OF ‘LACKLUSTER’ MENENDEZ | “The latest Rutgers-Eagleton Poll shows a meager 22 percent of adults had a favorable opinion of Menendez, compared with 35 percent with an unfavorable view. His job approval/disapproval ratio was 33 percent to 37 percent.” (Observer,  Poll: Bob Menendez Support Remains ‘Lackluster’, 05/17/18)

FOR MENENDEZ…”THE NEWS IS BLEAK” | “However, for Booker’s fellow Democrat, Menendez, the news is bleak, according to Rutgers-Eagleton. ‘Menendez’s ratings have never reached the height of Booker’s, and a large number continue to be almost as ambivalent toward the senior senator as when he first took office in 2006,’ Ashley Koning, assistant research professor and director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling at Rutgers University-New Brunswick, said.” (ROI, Poll: Booker is well-liked; Murphy is still a bit of a mystery; Menendez, well …, 05/17/2018)