Is this push authentic, or is it because Democrats are scared? The 2024 Senate map is not the friendliest to Democrats, who are holding onto the upper chamber by a thread. There's no room for error, and with Arizona's race looking like it could be a total circus, Chuck Schumer and Democratic Party operatives must be getting anxious as we approach the 2024 season.
Having a top Democratic senator get slapped with corruption charges, along with damning evidence to support those allegations found all over his home, doesn't help. Last week, Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was accused of accepting bribes in return for directing policies that would benefit the Arab Republic of Egypt. Unlike his past legal woes for similar charges in 2015, Bob has no redoubt here. Democrats want him gone on the Hill and in New Jersey.
When federal agents searched his home, they found $480,000 in cash all over his house, along with $100,000 worth of gold bars. Menendez not only declared that he would be exonerated, but he would run for re-election. The dam didn't take long to break, as the Senate Democratic Caucus appears to be decidedly against him sticking around. Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) is the latest to call for his resignation:
28 Senate Ds calling on Menendez to resign:
— Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) September 27, 2023
Fetterman
Brown
Welch
Baldwin
Tester
Casey
Rosen
Warren
Heinrich
Klobuchar
Bennet
Kelly
Booker
Gillibrand
Markey
Massan
Hirono
Warnock
Peters
Duckworth
Murphy
Blumenthal
Stabenow
Sanders
Ossof
Van Hollen
Hickenlooper
Durbin
Sen Patty Murray (D-WA) is the 29th Senate Dem to call on Sen Menendez to resign: pic.twitter.com/jnmHO1wDbS
— Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) September 27, 2023
A stampede of Senate Democrats led by some of the party’s most endangered incumbents rushed forward calling for Menendez to resign --
— Annie Karni (@anniekarni) September 26, 2023
https://t.co/BJ8mVGGJJb
Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), who is working at half-brain capacity, not only said that Menendez should go but that he would support a primary challenger should that happen. Fetterman did have a funny quip, saying that only Tony Soprano had that much cash and valuables in their house.
Is it because Democrats don't want this to barrel into a three-to-four-seat swing come Election Day 2024? That would be enough for Republicans to retake the Senate. They're obviously trying to get ahead of it.
Expect this list to grow, too, by the way.