Murphy Picks Replacement For Bob Menendez In New Jersey (UPDATED)

This article was updated on Aug. 16

NEW JERSEY — Ever since U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez announced his plans to resign, a pressing question has been echoing through political circles in New Jersey: who will his temporary replacement be? Now the Garden State finally has an answer: George Samir Helmy.

On Friday, Gov. Phil Murphy announced that Helmy, his former chief of staff, will be Menendez’s interim replacement in the U.S. Senate.

Menendez has been one of the Garden State’s most recognizable Democrats since he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1992. He joined the U.S. Senate in 2006, eventually rising to become chair of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, among other prime assignments.

Menendez’s political career survived a previous bribery accusation when a jury deadlocked in 2017. But a recent conviction in a second federal case brought his tenure as a senator to a screeching halt when a jury found Menendez guilty on 16 counts of taking bribes to aid the Qatari and Egyptian governments. He is set to be sentenced on Oct. 29 and faces decades in prison.

Menendez, who has maintained his innocence, says he plans to appeal the verdict. Read More: After Conviction, Sen. Menendez Remains Defiant: 'Never Been Anything But A Patriot'

After facing pressure from across the political spectrum – including several high-ranking members of his own party – Menendez announced that he plans to step down on Aug. 20. Read More: Sen. Menendez Will Resign, Gov. Murphy Confirms

Menendez’s seat will be up for grabs on Nov. 5 as part of the general election, which will likely see a high voter turnout for the presidential race.

Menendez’s current term was set to end on Jan. 3, 2025. In the meanwhile – although he’s not required to – Gov. Murphy said he plans to appoint a temporary replacement to fill the unexpired term. It's a situation that has happened before in recent New Jersey history.

• See Related: Who Will Replace Bob Menendez In NJ? Here Are Some Possibilities

A primary election between Democratic and Republican candidates took place in June, with U.S. Rep. Andy Kim (NJ-3) capturing the Democrat nomination and South Jersey entrepreneur Curtis Bashaw earning the Republican nod. Independent and third-party candidates include Christina Khalil (Green Party), Kenneth Kaplan (Libertarian Party), Joanne Kuniansky (Socialist Workers Party), and Patricia Mooneyham (Independent).

However, many political pundits – and some of the current Senate candidates – have been pushing the governor to select an interim replacement who wouldn’t gain an advantage in the upcoming election.

Murphy appears to have heeded those concerns with the selection of Helmy, who will serve as one of New Jersey's two U.S. senators until the winner of this year's general election is certified on Nov. 27 and Helmy resigns.

Helmy, a former staffer for the state’s other U.S. senator, Cory Booker, now works as a health care executive in one of the biggest hospital systems in New Jersey: RWJ Barnabas Health. He has remained a close adviser to the governor, Politico reported.

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

“There is no one better prepared — or more committed — to delivering for the people of our state, especially when it comes to providing the highest caliber of constituent services,” the governor continued. “For four and a half years, I witnessed firsthand George’s unique skillset, wealth of knowledge, and willingness to pour his heart and soul into serving the people of our state. I have absolute confidence that he will serve New Jerseyans well over the next few months.”

Helmy said he is accepting the temporary post with “great humility and even greater determination.”

“While I am honored to serve and provide New Jersey with a Senate office that they can depend on, I commit to stepping down early to give the duly elected senator the chance to begin their work,” Helmy said.

“As I serve my state as senator for the next few months, I promise to work for the people of New Jersey and hope to restore their faith in public service,” he added.

The Republican and Democratic contenders in the Nov. 5 election agreed with the decision.

“George has a wealth of government experience and knows the state of New Jersey well,” Bashaw said Thursday.

“Gov. Murphy did the right thing in appointing a temporary caretaker to this seat and letting New Jersey voters make the ultimate decision on who will best represent them in the United States Senate come November,” the Republican candidate added.

Helmy's appointment also got a thumbs-up from Rep. Andy Kim, the Democratic Party nominee.

“Having led Sen. Booker’s state operations for a number of years, George Helmy knows how to navigate the senate and can step in immediately to keep delivering services for our state,” Kim said. “That’s incredibly important experience with so many challenging issues facing our state and our nation. I look forward to working with him in the Capitol.”

WHO IS GEORGE HELMY?

The governor's office provided the following summary of Helmy's qualifications:

"Serving as Chief of Staff to Governor Phil Murphy from February 2019 to October 2023, George Helmy played a critical role in leading New Jersey’s pandemic response, negotiated six on-time state budgets, and ensured the completion of many of the Governor’s legislative goals. Prior to serving as Chief of Staff, Helmy served as State Director to U.S. Senator Cory Booker, serving on the Senator’s senior staff and overseeing the day-to-day operations of his New Jersey offices. Prior to that, he worked as Senator Booker’s Deputy Chief of Staff for two years. Helmy has also worked in the private sector with two Fortune 100 companies and served as an aide and caseworker to the late U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg, handling issues such as gun safety and financial affairs.Helmy currently serves as Executive Vice President and Chief External Affairs and Policy Officer at RWJBarnabas Health. A native of Jersey City, Helmy lives in Morris County with his wife and two children. He received his Bachelor of Arts from Rutgers University and Master’s degree from Harvard University.Upon his appointment to the U.S. Senate, Helmy will become the only Arab-American Senator in the 118th Congress."

Helmy is tentatively scheduled to be sworn in on Sept. 9, when the U.S. Senate reconvenes.

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