As Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) continues to face the fallout from a corruption indictment, a new Quinnipac University poll indicates that much of the public is against him. The indictment was based on the senator’s allegedly accepting bribes and gifts from Florida ophthalmologist Salomon Melgen.
The poll, in which live interviewers spoke with New Jersey voters by phone, showed that 53 percent of respondents believe Menendez should resign and that 39 percent believe he should not. Menendez’s overall approval rating has also suffered, at 36 – 42 percent unfavorable.
Quinnipiac University Poll Assistant Director Maurice Carroll said that the numbers indicate voters’ belief that Menendez’s indictment was not a matter of selective prosecution, but of legitimate breaches of ethics.
“Sen. Robert Menendez, facing federal corruption charges, should quit, voters say. They split over whether what he did was illegal or simply unethical. But they think the prosecutors’ charges were based on fact, not prompted by politics,” Carroll said.
Republicans called for Menendez’s resignation 62 – 31 percent, independents 56 – 35 percent, and Democrats 43 – 49 percent.
The full poll, which also asked respondents about their feelings toward the state’s transportation crisis as well as Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and President Obama, is available on Quinnipac’s website.