George Helmy becomes U.S. senator, two months after Bob Menendez’s conviction
George Helmy, Gov. Murphy's former chief of staff, is now the only Arab American in the U.S. Senate. (Photo courtesy of New Jersey Governor's Office)
George Helmy was sworn in Monday in Washington, D.C., to fill the unexpired term of convicted former Sen. Bob Menendez, becoming the only Arab American senator in Congress.
Helmy, 44, a Democrat who served as Gov. Phil Murphy’s chief of staff from 2019 to last year, took his oath of office with a beaming Sen. Cory Booker, New Jersey’s senior senator, standing by his side. The oath, administered at 5:06 p.m. by Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), took less than a minute.
Afterward, Booker hugged him and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer congratulated him, noting Helmy is the first member of the Coptic Christian Church to become a U.S. senator.
“He’s going to be a great addition, and it’s another ceiling being broken,” Schumer said.
Helmy began his senatorial service immediately, with the Senate going into a legislative session to mull judicial nominations.
“It is an honor and a privilege to represent the great State of New Jersey in this capacity,” Helmy said in a statement. “New Jersey deserves its full voice and representation on the floor of the United States Senate, and I am committed to supporting the needs of our constituents over the next few months as we navigate such a critical time in our nation’s history.”
Helmy will not serve in the Senate for long. He’s expected to resign in late November after the Board of State Canvassers certifies the winner of the Nov. 5 election and Murphy appoints the victor to the Senate. Rep. Andy Kim, a Democrat who has served in the House’s 3rd District since 2019, is seeking the Senate seat against Republican hotelier Curtis Bashaw.
Helmy will sit on the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which his predecessor helmed until shortly after his federal indictment last fall in a wide-ranging, international bribery scheme. Helmy also will serve on the Senate’s finance and banking, housing, and urban affairs committees.
This isn’t the first time Helmy has worked for the Senate. Before he joined Murphy’s team, he was Booker’s state director. He also was an aide and caseworker to the late Sen. Frank Lautenberg.
He left Murphy’s office last year to become executive vice president and chief external affairs and policy officer for RWJBarnabas Health.
The Jersey City native now lives in Morris County with his wife and two children. He’s a graduate of Rutgers and Harvard universities.
Menendez, 70, resigned his Senate seat in August and withdrew his bid for reelection as an independent candidate on Aug. 20, about a month after a Manhattan jury convicted him after a 10-week trial of accepting cash, gold bars, a Mercedes-Benz convertible, and other valuables in exchange for his political influence. The Democrat, who had served in Congress since 1993, has appealed his conviction; his sentencing is set for Oct. 29.
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