Disgraced New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez (D) will finally be stepping down later this month after over a year of facing federal bribery-related charges and a conviction. 

With Menendez soon to be out of the halls of Congress, the responsibility to temporarily fill his seat lies with New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D).

According to Politico, Gov. Murphy has reportedly named longtime aide George Helmy as the caretaker of the soon-to-be-vacant Senate seat.

Helmy not only served as Murphy's chief of staff but was also a longtime Senate aide to Sen. Cory Booker.

What's happening?

The move hasn't been formally announced. Politico cited sources who were granted anonymity to reveal the news.

While Helmy has plenty of experience in the political realm and in Congress on the frontlines, he currently works as a healthcare executive in one of the state's largest hospital systems.

Politico noted:

One person familiar with the governor’s decision cautioned Wednesday evening that an offer was not formally made to Helmy yet. Another person familiar with the pending appointment said that an announcement could come as soon as Friday. Helmy declined to comment.

Should Helmy ultimately fill the spot, he'll join fellow Sen. Booker in representing New Jersey through the upcoming presidential election.

As far as a permanent solution to fill the disgraced senator's seat, Democratic Rep. Andy Kim will face off against Republican hotelier Curtis Bashaw to fill what could have been Menendez's full, upcoming six-year term.

Politico noted Helmy's background:

Helmy joined the Murphy administration in early 2019, a year into Murphy’s first term that was marked by strife with fellow Democrats who control the state Legislature. Helmy, who had developed deep political relationships during his time as state director for Booker, was widely credited with stabilizing the administration’s relationship with the Legislature and other Democratic leaders around the state.

Tight-lipped

During a recent interview regarding who he might select as the senator's replacement, Murphy remained tight-lipped about names, many of which had already been floated as possibilities.

"No discussion of names," Murphy said. "We’ve considered a whole range of options, and I’m proud of that fact in the sense that we didn’t narrow ourselves into a corner."

Murphy reportedly took some heat for his likely decision, as many New Jersey Democrats played the DEI card and demanded he appoint a Black or Hispanic woman as caretaker of the Senate seat.

While Democratic candidate Kim is heavily favored to win in November, should his Republican challenger squeak out a victory, it would likely tip the Senate in favor of Republicans.