By Athena Papakosta

As the judicial cord tightens around Senator Robert Menendez, so does the politician. Calls within Democrats for him to resign are growing, and he already has his first challenger in the New Jersey Democratic Senate race.

This is Andy Kim, 41, who has represented New Jersey’s 3rd congressional district since 2018, wresting it from Republican control. In previous years, he served the Obama administration on national security issues.

America’s Politico describes Kim as a “rising star” of the Democratic Party and says he presents the biggest political threat to Senator Menendez, who has held the seat since 2006.

At the same time, it is possible that other candidates will appear. After all, as noted by Mia McCarthy who writes the report of the American news website, New Jersey has several options, capable of Menendez’s position.

Before Kim announced his candidacy, he was the first member of New Jersey’s Democratic congressional delegation to call on Menendez to resign his Senate seat. After him, five others followed with the governor of the State of New Jersey, Phil Murphy calling him, then, himself to resign, while the Democratic senator in Pennsylvania, John Fetterman, took the baton.

Robert Menendez is accused of using his position as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to help the Egyptian government and other businessmen. He may have resigned from his seat on the Foreign Affairs Committee but he is rejecting calls from his own party – which is still trying to manage the “storm” – to resign his Senate seat.

Last Friday he declared: “for years, behind-the-scenes forces have repeatedly tried to silence me and dig my political grave” adding that “I have stood firm against dictators from all over the world – Iran, Cuba, Turkey, etc. . – fighting against the forces of appeasement and taking a stand on the side of those who defend freedom and democracy”.

So far, two top Democrats in New Jersey have not come out in favor of Menendez’s resignation. They are Democratic Sen. Cory Booker and Menendez’s son, Rob, who said he has unwavering confidence in his father.

More than $100,000 worth of gold bars, more than $480,000 in cash – much of which was hidden in closets, clothes and a safe were found in the Menendez home. In fact, the indictment, which was unsealed last Friday in a Manhattan federal court, also includes photos of envelopes filled with cash, on a jacket with Menendez’s name on it, as well as photos of a luxury convertible car.

Robert Menendez is scheduled to appear in Manhattan federal court on Wednesday, September 27.