TRENTON – New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy Aug. 16 appointed George Samir Helmy to fill the U.S. Senate seat which will be vacated Aug. 20 with the resignation of Robert Menendez following his conviction on 16 counts of political corruption.
Helmy will serve as the New Jersey representative in the U.S. Senate until the winner of the Nov. 5 General Election is certified on Nov. 27. At that point, Helmy will resign, and the winner will be sworn in to serve alongside Sen. Cory Booker, who will become the senior senator from New Jersey.
“George is the model of integrity we need to help restore public trust in our state’s leadership,” Murphy said in a release.
Booker said Murphy made a “wise and historic choice” in Helmy’s appointment.
“George is a leader who will undoubtedly make a difference in the lives of New Jerseyans as our senator, even in this short period of time. I will be proud to serve alongside him. And I know he will make New Jerseyans proud through his service too.”
Helmy served as Murphy’s chief of staff from February 2019 to October 2023, playing a critical role during the pandemic and negotiating six state budgets. He also served as Booker’s state director overseeing day-to-day operations of his New Jersey office and was his chief of staff for two years. He aided the late Sen. Frank-Lautenberg as a Senate case worker.
Helmy currently serves as executive vice president of External Affairs and Policy at RW Barnabas Health. A graduate of Rutgers University with a master’s degree from Harvard University, he is a native of Jersey City and lives in Morris County with his wife and two children.
He will be the only Arab-American senator in the 118th Congress when he is sworn in on Sept. 9. He is the son of two Egyptian immigrants.
Voters will decide on Menendez’s permanent replacement for a six-year term of office when U.S. Congressman Andy Kim, a Democrat, and Republican Cape May businessman Curtis Bashaw face off in the Nov. 5 election.
Menendez, who was seeking re-election as an independent candidate, dropped out of the race on Friday.
Helmy thanked Booker, Murphy and other state officials, and said he will offer New Jerseyans “a full voice and representation” in the Senate, but “will never seek elected office.”
“Of all the policy and legislative accomplishment of which I have been part, it was my early assignments as a Senate caseworker which brought me the greatest joy and sense of accomplishment,” he said when he accepted the appointment.
Helmy said residents deserve a functioning Senate office that they can call on for help.
“I accept this appointment with great humility and with even greater determination, and I am eager to get back to work,” he said.
Copyright Access Network 2024
