Democrat Sen. Bob Menendez’s Approval, Favorability Ratings Tank amid Corruption Charges

Embattled Sen. Bob Menendez’s (D-NJ) favorability and approval ratings have plummeted to likely historic lows as he and his wife face federal allegations of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in exchange for his power and influence, according to a poll. 

The Rutgers University-Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling (ECPIP) survey shows that a mere 6 percent of registered voters in New Jersey have a favorable opinion of Menendez, while 69 percent hold negative views of him. Just fifteen percent did not have opinions one way or another, and ten percent were unsure of who he was. 

The senator’s favorability rating remains in single digits across political ideologies, with just 9 percent of registered voters from his own party tabbing him as “favorable” and 69 percent of Democrats finding him unfavorable. Just four percent of independents and two percent of Republicans view him in a positive light. 

Menendez’s approval rating is slightly better but is still severely underwater, as 11 percent approve of his job performance as a U.S. senator, and 64 percent disapprove, giving him a net -53 rating. He sees the strongest support among Democrats, though less than one in five voters give him positive marks, and three in five grade his performance negatively. Four percent of Republicans and seven percent of independents approve of his performance.

“Menendez’s ratings have never been exceptionally positive throughout his tenure as a U.S. senator in New Jersey, but they have now unsurprisingly hit rock bottom,” said Jessica Roman, a research associate at ECPIP, in a press release. “He has likely scored the lowest favorability and approval ratings of any major New Jersey political figure we have ever polled in our five-decade history.” 

The ECPIP sampled 826 registered voters from November 3-5, and the margin of error is plus or minus 4.8 percent. As the polling center noted, Menendez is facing multiple primary challenges.

In September, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York announced that Menendez and his wife, Nadine Menendez, were indicted on three counts each for an allegedly corrupt relationship they had with three New Jersey businessmen.

It is through that relationship that they are alleged to have accepted “hundreds of thousands of dollars” in gold, cash, and other bribes “in exchange for using Menendez’s power and influence as a Senator” not only to “protect and enrich” the men but to “benefit the Arab Republic of Egypt,” the indictment alleges.

Authorities noted that during a search of the Menendez’s home in June 2022, they located $480,000 in cash, with some of it being recovered from jackets embroidered with “Robert Menendez” and “Senator Menendez.” 

At a press conference on September 25, Menendez called the allegations “baseless” and claimed he had withdrawn money for decades and kept it for “emergencies.” 

“For 30 years, I have withdrawn thousands of dollars in cash from my personal savings account, which I have kept for emergencies and because of the history of my family facing confiscation in Cuba,” Menendez said.

“Now, this may seem old-fashioned, but these were monies drawn from my personal savings account, based on the income that I have lawfully derived over those 30 years,” he added.

Menendez and his wife are charged with Conspiracy to Commit Bribery, Conspiracy to Commit Honest Service Fraud, and Conspiracy to Commit Extortion Under Color of Official Right. This marks the second time he has been indicted on bribery allegations; he was indicted in 2015, but the case resulted in a mistrial.

The three New Jersey businessmen charged in the case include Fred Daibes, Wael Hana, and Jose Uribe.

The case is the United States of America v. Menendez, No. 23 CRIM 490, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.