New Jersey Democratic incumbent Sen. Bob Menendez on Tuesday won his third term in office, fighting off Republican challenger Bob Hugin despite allegations of corruption and bribery.
The Associated Press called the race for Menendez early Tuesday night, when he was ahead of Hugin with 48.67 percent of the vote and 14.28 percent of precincts reporting.
The contest to represent New Jersey, normally a reliably blue state, became competitive in the closing weeks of the campaign when it was deemed a “toss-up” by the Cook Political Report. The dueling camps resorted to attack after attack as Menendez sought to tie Hugin to Trump, while Hugin tried to capitalize on his opponent’s poor approval ratings following Menendez’s ethics scandal.
A federal judge in November declared a mistrial in Menendez’s corruption trial after jurors deadlocked for a second time. The case focused on campaign donations, private jet flights, and a hotel stay in Paris, France, that Menendez received from Florida ophthalmologist Salomon Melgen. The gifts were exchanged for Menendez’s help in obtaining a U.S. visa for Melgen’s girlfriend, Menendez intervening in a Medicare billing dispute on Melgen’s behalf, and Menendez attempting to preserve Melgen’s interests in a Dominican Republic port.
The Justice Department dropped the bribery charges in January. Menendez has denied any wrongdoing, but in April was reprimanded by the Senate Ethics Committee over the accusations.
Hugin’s race was not without its own controversies. The Trump ally faced claims of dirty tactics, as well as scrutiny over a lawsuit biopharmaceutical firm Celgene Corporation dealt with under his management. The suits involved assertions the firm had hidden potentially dangerous side effects of some the cancer drugs it developed.
