Sen. Menendez approval ratings underwater amid new investigation

U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez’s approval ratings are underwater with New Jersey voters as he prepares to seek reelection next year amid a federal investigation into whether the Democratic senator and his wife received gifts in exchange for aid securing an Egyptian meat certification contract.

A Monmouth University poll released Thursday found 44% of registered New Jersey voters disapproved of Menendez, while 35% approved. Menendez’s approval was at 44% in an April 2022 Monmouth poll.

The ratings decline comes as Menendez, chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, reportedly faces a federal probe over the Egyptian government’s award that made IS EG Halal, an Edgewater-based firm, the nation’s only authorized halal meat importer.

Menendez and the company have each denied any impropriety, but the investigation appears to have taken a toll on perception of the state’s senior senator.

“Public opinion of Sen. Menendez has ranged from positive to evenly divided to negative at different points over the past eight years. The current poll results suggest news of a new federal probe is having an impact on that opinion, perhaps even more so than the last time he faced similar scrutiny,” said Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute.

Monmouth polls from 2017 — when Menendez stood trial with friend Salomon Melgen, a Florida doctor, on charges the two traded official favors for luxury travel — showed Menendez with roughly even approval ratings. The charges against Menendez were dropped after his prosecution ended in a mistrial, and the senator the following year went on to win reelection. 

Most New Jerseyans, 57%, have heard about the new investigation, and 60% said the case had at least some effect on his ability to serve the state, the new poll shows.

A Menendez political advisor said the downward polling trend is of little concern.

“The senator remains consistently strong among Democratic primary voters across the state in both polls and throughout his one-on-one interactions with residents,” said Michael Soliman, the advisor. “The numbers that matter are what voters say at the ballot box in November 2024.”

Menendez faces a primary challenge from Kyle Jasey, a real estate agent and son of Assemblywoman Mila Jasey (D-Essex). Roselle Park Mayor Joe Signorello had launched a Senate campaign but suspended his bid to seek a House seat in New Jersey’s Seventh District.

Shirley Maia-Cusick, the CEO of a Short Hills immigration consultancy firm, is the only Republican candidate to join the Senate race so far. Republicans have not won a U.S. Senate race in New Jersey since 1972.