The latest Menendez indictment raises questions about the last one.

Recent news articles about the latest indictment of Senator Bob Menendez casually mention that his 2018 Democratic primary challenger, progressive Democrat Lisa McCormick, barely waged a campaign or describe the people-powered candidate as an unknown but more than 20 million emails disseminated by the liberal contender suggest that those assertions are lies.

McCormick waged an incredibly effective campaign despite the fact that she underestimated turnout in the race, which she attributed to women who were angry about having Donald Trump in the White House. She also displayed serious substance on issues and a prescient perspective about what was at stake.

In an email message sent to 420,000 New Jersey voters on June 4, 2018, the progressive activist sounded a stark warning about the potential consequences of the US Supreme Court's recent decisions due to the inaction of establishment Democrats like Senator Bob Menendez.

Menendez and his wife Nadine Arslanian are not accused of accepting cash, gold bars, a luxury car, and a mortgage on their home in return for assisting the businessmen. The FBI found nearly $500,000 in cash and more than $100,000 in gold at Menendez’s home in a raid last year, allegedly payment for the bribes.

McCormick foresaw that the top court's trajectory, coupled with political failures, could imperil key rights and freedoms Americans have cherished for generations. McCormick predicted that the US Supreme Court would permit LGBT discrimination, end the right to choose abortion, eviscerate civil rights, and disrupt many other aspects of life Americans have long taken for granted.

McCormick's email message touched upon various issues, notably highlighting concerns about LGBT discrimination, abortion rights, and civil liberties. She contended that the Supreme Court's growing Republican majority, which recently voted 7-2 in favor of a cake shop's right to deny service to a same-sex couple, signaled troubling times ahead for the protection of individual liberties.

"The hostile takeover of the US Supreme Court reminds us that freedom is not free," McCormick wrote. "There is little hope that this court will allow to survive our abortion and reproductive freedom, what's left of our civil rights, and many other aspects of life Americans have long taken for granted."

While acknowledging the divisiveness emanating from the Trump White House and a Republican-controlled Congress, McCormick also criticized establishment Democrats in Washington for failing to protect core American values.

"The Toys R Us story is about bankruptcy, fraud, and greed that shows how the rich are not subject to the same rules as everyone else," said McCormick, who went on to criticize Menendez for supporting bankruptcy laws and financial regulations that allowed wealthy corporations to exploit legal loopholes at the expense of workers.

In the email, McCormick called for a change in the status quo, asserting that individuals have the power to drive change through their votes. She encouraged New Jersey voters to participate in the upcoming Democratic primary contests for the U.S. Senate seat and New Jersey's 12 seats in the House of Representatives.

Although pollsters and political news reporters ignored her challenge to Menendez, who had been "severely admonished" by the Senate Ethics Committee, McCormick remained focused on her grassroots campaign, emphasizing the importance of voter turnout among a highly targeted audience.

The message, while issued in 2018, reflects concerns and issues that continue to resonate in American politics, as discussions about the Supreme Court, civil liberties, and the role of politicians in safeguarding these rights persist on the national stage. A group is calling on McCormick to make another run for the US Senate as an alternative to politicians who supported Menendez in his last re-election attempt despite knowing that he was unethical.

Congressman Andy Kim, a Menendez running mate in 2018, has announced his intention to challenge the senator if he does not resign, which would allow Governor Phil Murphy to appoint a successor just as another Wall Street titan in the State House put the indicted lawmaker in the spot.

Murphy was a strong supporter of Menendez and he was among the first to endorse Robert Menendez, Jr. for the House of Representatives, declaring his support for the son before he had even announced his intention to run for the seat vacated by Rep. Albio Sires.

McCormick is a Democrat who has had a long record of involvement in New Jersey politics battling against corrupt political bosses, taking strong stands on issues, and organizing citizens to exert control over government.

McCormick spearheaded anti-gun violence, consumer protection, and banking reform efforts for the northern New Jersey chapter of MoveOn.org.

She served on the legislative staff of now-Senate President Nicholas Scutari but she quit because the lawmaker—who was also Linden's municipal prosecutor—encouraged her to treat the post as a no-show job. She also was a candidate for County Clerk, who led the anti-establishment team of Democrats for Change, which captured 47 percent of the vote in Union County's 2010 primary election.

After she almost knocked off Menendez in 2018, political bosses and their allies in the corporate-controlled media concocted a story that her massive grassroots people-powered campaign was a fluke. They refused to credit McCormick with scoring more votes than the entire number of ballots cast in 2015.

McCormick's total in her race against Menendez exceeded the combined total earned by Congressman Frank Pallone, Congressman Rush Holt, and Lt. Governor Shiela Oliver in the 2013 special primary election for US Senate. McCormick even got a greater percentage than Bernie Sanders earned in his 2016 presidential campaign and more votes than Governor Jon Corzine earned when he ran for re-election.