NJ Star-Ledger Not-So-Enthusiastically Endorses Menendez: Voters Should ‘Choke Down’ Reluctance

The New Jersey Star-Ledger gave its endorsement to Senator Bob Menendez, the incumbent Democrat, though it’s not exactly the kind of endorsement he would necessarily be happy about.

For starters, the Star-Ledger really wishes he wasn’t even running anyway:

It’s a miracle that Menendez escaped criminal conviction, and an act of profound narcissism that he stayed in the race despite this baggage, putting a Democratic seat at risk while Donald Trump sits in the White House…

It’s a disgrace that Democratic leaders like Sen. Cory Booker and Gov. Phil Murphy rallied to support Menendez early on, when a stronger candidate could have beaten him in a primary. This race is a rated as a tossup now, in a year when a generic Democrat could win in a walk.

But since they’re stuck with what they call “the most depressing choice for New Jersey voters in a generation,” the paper’s editorial board is recommending that people basically hold their nose and vote for Menendez anyway.

And one of the factors is President Donald Trump himself, and between Menendez and Republican candidate Bob Hugin, they call Menendez the preferable choice.

The endorsement concludes with another invocation of Trump and an encouragement for voters to “choke down their reluctance and vote for Menendez.”

You can read the full endorsement here.

[image via screengrab]

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