| Convicted Sen. Bob Menendez on Friday took his independent candidacy off the November ballot, ending for good the question of whether the disgraced senator would complicate an election for the party that spurned him. It also formally ends a half century in politics that began on a New Jersey school board and culminated with extraordinary power on the global stage. Hours earlier, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said he would appoint former chief of staff George Helmy to the Senate seat Menendez has said he will vacate in days. Read the latest
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