Last month I wrote about how tightening polls in New Jersey appeared to show that embattled incumbent Senator Bob Menendez was in trouble. In a midterm election year, which is typically bad for the party that controls the White House, polls in the blue state of New Jersey appeared too tight for comfort for liberal pundits.
In a midterm election with so much on the line, every race matters. While the Senate is considered mostly safe for Republicans, every victory is important, and unexpected victories could result in an even stronger majority, which will be incredibly important when it comes to confirming judges and, potentially, another Supreme Court justice.
In the month since I last reported on this race, the news has continued to get better, as internal polling from Bob Hugin’s campaign indicates that he can defeat Menendez, according to the Washington Free Beacon.
Bob Hugin in the final days before Election Day said he will finish strong and victorious against Senator Bob Menendez and revealed that his internal polling shows he has a slight lead in the U.S. Senate race in New Jersey.
Hugin told the Washington Free Beacon at a get out the vote rally in Colts Neck, N.J., over the weekend that his latest internal polling shows he is up “a couple of points” over Menendez. He also said he started strong and plans on finishing strong.
When asked how he’s feeling about the race, Hugin said, “I feel good,” then he added, “but you can’t take anything for granted.” He had numerous rallies on his schedule throughout the state in the countdown to what he says will be a victory for him and the residents of New Jersey.
If Hugin wins, it will be a stunning upset victory. Despite all the historic factors making this a bad election year for the GOP, not getting rid of the notoriously corrupt Menendez might just prove to be the Democrats’ single biggest mistake. Despite his corruption trial, and credible accusations of underage prostitution, Senators Chuck Schumer and Cory Booker did nothing to force him out and replace him with another Democrat who would likely have a comfortable lead now.
Keep in mind that it’s not just Hugin’s internal polling saying things aren’t looking good for Menendez. Democrats are very, very concerned.
Democratic strategists in the state are now concerned Menendez could lose his seat. In a piece published by Politico on Saturday, Democrats said they have seen a remarkable decline in support for Menendez and are fearful he could lose as Hugin continues to spend millions of his own money in the days leading up to Nov. 6.
Hugin has gained momentum with key endorsements such as one last week from the Latino Leader Alliance PAC, which previously endorsed Menendez.
New Jersey voters can expect to be bombarded with more television and radio ads. FEC filings released on Sunday showed a $1.9 million ad buy by Waterfront Strategies in support of Menendez. The Leadership Alliance PAC will be spending an additional $70,000 for radio ads, bringing its total spent to $1.4 million to stave off a Hugin win.
Integrity NJ will be spending an additional $699,000 in support of Hugin. Their ads have been focused on Menendez’s corruption charges.
For all their grandstanding on ethics, corruption, #MeToo, etc., etc., Democrats clearly have no interest in policing their own party. Instead, they stood behind a man whose corruption trial ended in a hung jury. Federal prosecutors say they have evidence he had sex with underage prostitutes in the Dominican Republic. That the election is even close says a lot about Democrat voters in the state, if not nationwide. It certainly reflects poorly on Schumer and Booker, who chose the path of protecting Menendez, despite the credible accusations.
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Matt Margolis is the author of The Scandalous Presidency of Barack Obama and the bestselling The Worst President in History: The Legacy of Barack Obama. His new book, Trumping Obama: How President Trump Saved Us From Barack Obama’s Legacy, will be published in 2019. You can follow Matt on Twitter @MattMargolis
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