Sen. Bob Menendez is set to resign after his bribery conviction. Here’s what’s next

Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., has said he plans to resign on Tuesday, just over a month after a federal jury found him guilty on charges including bribery and acting as a foreign agent.

The shocking corruption trial capped a long and storied career for Menendez, who started as the mayor of Union City, an enclave of Cuban immigrants in North Jersey, and rose to prominence as the first Latino to chair the influential United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.

He is also the first sitting U.S. Senator convicted of bribery in more than 40 years.

Menendez, who was first elected to the Senate in 2006, had been nearing the end of his third term and would have been up for reelection in November.

Here’s how his conviction and resignation are shaking up New Jersey’s representation in Congress — and the race to replace him.

A longtime N.J. political staffer will temporarily fill Menendez’s seat

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy will appoint a replacement for Menendez — and the Democratic governor has already announced his pick.

Murphy’s former longtime chief of staff, George Helmy, will fill the seat being vacated by Menendez. He is tentatively scheduled to be sworn in on Sept. 9 when the Senate reconvenes, the governor said.

“George is the model of integrity we need to help restore public trust in our state’s leadership,” Murphy said in a statement.

Helmy, 44, served as Murphy’s chief of staff from 2019 to 2023, and before then he worked as state director and chief of staff to Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J. He’s currently the executive vice president and chief external affairs and policy officer at RWJBarnabas Health in New Jersey.

Murphy said Helmy will serve as a senator until New Jersey certifies the results of the general election