Menendez foes supported Bob Menendez in 2018

Three of Senator Bob Menendez's top Democratic primary challengers supported the corrupt lawmaker in 2018 when the United States Senate Select Committee on Ethics "severely admonished" him for accepting illegal gifts from Dr. Salomon Melgen and a progressive activist mounted an underfunded grassroots campaign that earned an impressive number of votes.

In 2018, Lisa McCormick was the only Democrat who dared to challenge Menendez and she garnered an impressive 159,998 votes, or nearly four of ten ballots cast in the primary.

Now those three prospective Democratic primary challengers--Congressman Andy Kim, Patricia Campos-Medina, and Tammy Murphy, the wife of New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy-- may have to explain to voters why they threw their support behind the embattled lawmaker instead of backing a candidate who would have been the first woman elected to the US Senate from New Jersey.

A fourth contender, Newark civil rights leader Larry Hamm, supported McCormick in the 2018 Democratic primary when she earned the ballots of 159,998 voters touting a message of hope and change that advocated higher taxes on the wealthy, Medicare for All, expanding Social Security, combating the climate crisis, breaking up too-big-to-fail banks, and other New Deal inspired policies.

Amidst the backdrop of Menendez's ongoing legal challenges and unethical conduct, Tammy Murphy contributed $2700 to Menendez's campaign on March 29, 2018, and Patricia Campos-Medina followed suit with a $2500 donation on April 19, 2018.

At the same time, Andy Kim became a congressman after appearing on the June 5, 2018, ballot as Menendez's running mate.

Menendez had his ethical conduct scrutinized by the Senate Ethics Committee in 2018, resulting in severe admonishment for accepting gifts from donor Salomon Melgen without committee approval. During this period, when the Senator faced criticism and ethical questions, three Democratic contenders who would later vie for his seat expressed support.

"The Committee has found that over a six-year period you knowingly and repeatedly accepted gifts of significant value from Dr. Melgen without obtaining required Committee approval, and that you failed to publicly disclose certain gifts as required by Senate Rule and federal law," said a letter from the Ethics Committee. "Additionally, while accepting these gifts, you used your position as a Member of the Senate to advance Dr. Melgen's personal and business interests."

"Your assistance to Dr. Melgen, however, went well beyond Senate norms. You took action, over the course of several years, on behalf of one specific individual who repeatedly gave you many valuable gifts," the committee members told Menendez.

The regular political organization in early 2018 was criticized for supporting Democrats who were under indictment for bribery, had endorsed Gov. Chris Christie for reelection, or refused to impeach Republican President Donald Trump--so by associating themselves with the party line, Kim, Campos-Medina, and Murphy reveal that they cannot claim to represent significant change at a time when Americans are not looking for more of the same.

McCormick's candidacy coincided with the story of progressive women who decided to fight back documented in the film 'Knock Down The House,' that led to the election of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez.

Without political experience or corporate money, they built a movement of insurgent candidates challenging powerful incumbents in Congress.

While some Democrats at that time argued for impeachment based on what they believed to be Trump’s obstruction of justice concerning investigations relating to the Russian government’s role in the 2016 election and subsequent administration actions, others focused on the President’s apparent support of white supremacy in a variety of policies, press conferences, and social media posts.

In a letter to colleagues, Rep. Al Green argued that the framers of the Constitution intended to provide Congress with a method for removing any President whose public behavior disgraced the office of the Presidency.

Reps. Josh Gottheimer and Albio Sires opposed Green’s resolution, which had it passed, would have impeached Trump for being openly and explicitly racist. Rep. Donald Payne Jr. did not cast a vote on the measure.