(CN) — A majority of New Jersey residents want Senator Bob Menendez to resign in light of federal corruption charges accusing the Democrat of a far-reaching bribery scheme involving foreign governments, a Monmouth University poll found.
The poll, released Thursday, found that New Jersey residents are more negative about Menendez than the last time he was under federal indictment, when he was accused in 2015 of accepting gifts from a wealthy eye doctor. The trial ended with a hung jury in 2017.
According to the poll, 74% of New Jersey residents disapprove of Menendez’s performance in office, compared to 38% the last time he faced federal corruption charges.
“Perhaps the stash of gold bars is a little too much to stomach. Or maybe it’s simply one corruption trial too many,” Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute, said in a statement. “In any event, New Jerseyans say they have had enough and it’s time for Menendez to go.”
Menendez was hit with a superseding indictment Tuesday, bringing the total criminal counts he faces to 16. The charges are all related to accusations the New Jersey senator accepted lavish bribes and gifts to benefit the Egyptian and Qatari governments, as well as individual businessmen in his home state.
He was initially charged in September after investigators raided his home and seized gold bars and around $480,000 in cash. He has pleaded not guilty.
Menendez’s approval rating among his fellow Democrats has shifted in the last few years as well.
Since Menendez’s first indictment, his approval rating among Democrats ranged from 47% in 2015 to 72% in 2021. The latest poll finding shows that Democrats and Republicans alike now hold similar views on the senator’s performance, with a 65% disapproval rate among Democrats and an 82% disapproval rate among Republicans.
“Throughout his prior legal ordeal, Menendez could at least count on the backing of most of his fellow Democrats,” Murray said. “That support has now cratered and is unlikely to recover since the charges keep piling up.”
Since Menendez’s September indictment, members of his own party, including fellow New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, have advised him to resign.
“As Senator Menendez prepares to mount his legal defense, he has stated that he will not resign,” Booker said in a statement last year. “Senator Menendez fiercely asserts his innocence and it is therefore understandable that he believes stepping down is patently unfair. But I believe that is a mistake.”
The Monmouth University poll also showed Booker with a 53% approval rating and a 40% disapproval rating among the state’s electorate.
Menendez faces counts of conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right and conspiracy for a public official to act as a foreign agent. With Tuesday’s additional charges, the senator also faces accusations including obstruction of justice, bribery and extortion.
According to prosecutors, Menendez took bribes to influence foreign policy. In one instance, prosecutors say Menendez used his influence to boost the Qatari government in connection with a New Jersey real estate project.
He is also accused of trying to help New Jersey businessmen, including former co-defendant Jose Uribe, avoid criminal probes and prosecution. Uribe pleaded guilty on March 1 to bribing Menendez with a Mercedes-Benz convertible and admitted he lied to federal prosecutors when he told them the payments he made toward the car were actually for loans.
Though up for reelection this year, Menendez has not said if he will run. His trial is expected to begin May 6.
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