Helmy Selected Interim US Senator

By Anthony Birritteri, Editor-in-Chief On Aug 16, 2024

Gov. Phil Murphy today named his former chief of staff, George Helmy, to temporarily fill the US Senate seat being vacated by Senator Bob Menendez, who will resign on Aug. 20 after being found guilty last month of several federal corruption charges.

Helmy will serve as one of New Jersey’s two US Senators until the winner of the Nov. 5 general election is certified on Nov. 27, at which point he will resign, and the governor will appoint the winner of the general election to the US Senate.

Speaking at a press conference today in Newark, Murphy said, “Helmy is the ideal leader to take on this role … he has more relevant experience under his belt than perhaps anybody in New Jersey.

“As the longest-serving gubernatorial chief of staff in state history, George understands, on a very fundamental level, how a US Senate office operates,” Murphy said. “He will be ready to run the office from moment one and will bring firsthand expertise in providing the best possible constituent service to our state’s families.”

Helmy, who is currently executive vice president, chief external affairs and policy officer at RWJ Barnabas Health, accepted his new appointment “with great humility and even greater determination to represent New Jerseyans in the United States Senate,” he said, adding, “While I am honored to serve and provide New Jersey with a Senate office that they can depend on, I commit to stepping down early to give the duly elected Senator the chance to begin their work. As I serve my state as Senator for the next few months, I promise to work for the people of New Jersey and hope to restore their faith in public service.”

Experience

As chief of staff, Helmy was responsible for managing and overseeing the governor’s major policy initiatives, legislative agenda, communications strategy, intergovernmental relations, private sector engagement, and community outreach, among other responsibilities. He also served as the governor’s point person for the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prior to serving as chief of staff, Helmy served as state director to US Senator Cory Booker, serving on the senator’s senior staff and overseeing the day-to-day operations of his New Jersey offices. Prior to that, he worked as Booker’s state office deputy chief of staff for two years.

He said that serving as state director for Booker “prepared me beyond words for the challenges and opportunities facing the state. That [experience] prepared me to be chief of staff to the governor.” He added that he looks forward to being Booker’s colleague, even for a short time, and thanked the senator for his support.

Helmy also worked in the private sector with two Fortune 100 companies and served as an aide to the late US Senator Frank Lautenberg.

A native of Jersey City, Helmy lives in Morris County with his wife and two children. He received his Bachelor of Arts from Rutgers University and master’s degree from Harvard University.

Being of Egyptian heritage and a Coptic Chrisitan, Helmy will become the only Arab-American senator serving in the 118th Congress. He is tentatively scheduled to be sworn in on Sept. 9, when the US Senate reconvenes.

The General Election

The upcoming general election will see South Jersey businessman and Republican candidate Curtis Bashaw run against three-term US Representative and Democratic candidate Andy Kim.

Kim, not wanting to comment on the pending Helmy appointment until it was officially confirmed, told New Jersey Business Magazine yesterday that he hoped the governor picks a person with experience when it comes to legislative work and dealing with the issues.

Today, he issued the following statement: “Having led Senator Booker’s state operations for a number of years, George Helmy knows how to navigate the Senate and can step in immediately to keep delivering services for our state. That’s incredibly important experience with so many challenging issues facing our state and our nation. I look forward to working with him in the Capitol.”

Bashaw released a statement yesterday saying that the governor “did the right thing in appointing a temporary caretaker to this seat and letting New Jersey voters make the ultimate decision on who will best represent them in the US Senate come November.”

Murphy said he had called both Kim and Bashaw this morning, informing them both of his plan to name the winner of the general election to the US Senate post after the election results have been certified.

“I express to them [both] my ardent belief that this approach will allow the democratically chosen winner of this year’s election to embark on the smoothest possible transition into office so they can provide the best possible representation to the people of New Jersey,” Murphy said.

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