Political unknown to fill Bob Menendez’s vacant Senate seat for just 3 months until Nov. elections

After the resignation of Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., Gov. Phil Murphy appointed George Helmy to temporarily fill the Senate seat until New Jersey’s Senate race between Democratic Rep. Andy Kim and Republican Curtis Bashaw is decided later this year.
Menendez stepped down from the position after being found guilty in a Manhattan court on 16 counts of corruption, including extortion, bribery, obstruction of justice and conspiracy, as previously reported by the Deseret News.
Helmy, who has never run for office, is not a well-known figure within the Democratic Party. His appointment brings the Democratic majority in the Senate to 51 members.
According to The New York Times, Helmy has only been a registered Democrat for five months, having previously been an independent voter. Despite his recent party affiliation change, Helmy has long been connected to the Democratic Party, having worked for two Democratic senators and served as Murphy’s chief of staff.
Helmy told The New York Times that his status as an independent voter did not affect his work for Democratic officials.
“I am not a candidate running for office,” Helmy said. “The work of my career in public service has been to enact the agendas of three statewide Democratic elected officials.”
“All three cared deeply about delivering meaningful results for working and middle-class families, which is why I worked for them,” he added.
Helmy is expected to resign once the Senate race concludes, handing the position to the winner. His tenure will last only three months, making him one of the shortest-serving senators in American history, according to Politico.
During his brief time in office, Helmy intends to advance Democratic policies.
“Something with my name (on it) is not important,” he told Politico. “It’s that I use the platform I have for three months to help advance a conversation.”
According to The New York Times, Murphy selected Helmy over Kim, whose supporters, including Sen. Cory Booker, had advocated for Kim’s appointment to the vacant Senate seat, potentially giving him a head start in the position, which he is expected to win.
Murphy cited a state “tradition” of appointing a temporary replacement until voters can choose an official representative as the reason for selecting Helmy.
Some reports suggested that Helmy’s appointment was influenced by a strained relationship between Murphy and Kim after Kim won the primary election against New Jersey first lady Tammy Murphy. However, Murphy denied these claims.
“A lot of the press … would imply that there’s sort of some middle school drama with me and Andy Kim, which is just not true,” Murphy told reporters, per Politico. “I had a very pleasant conversation with him this morning.”