New Jersey Democrat George Helmy joined the Senate yesterday to replace Bob Menendez, who resigned after a federal jury found him guilty on corruption charges in July.
Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy announced he was appointing Helmy, a former chief of staff, last month. Helmy has also worked for New Jersey’s now-senior Democratic Sen. Cory Booker. He will serve through the end of the year.
Helmy will sit on Menendez’s committees: Finance; Foreign Relations; and Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs. Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) took over Menendez’s Foreign Relations gavel last year.
The new senator, formerly a Republican, once worked for UPS and was on the board of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. He also worked for the late Sen. Frank Lautenberg.
