A new poll finds that just over half of New Jersey's voters think U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez should resign from office after being indicted on corruption charges.
The Quinnipiac University Poll released Thursday finds 52 percent of voters want him to step down while 39 percent think he should not.
The Democrat's approval rating also slipped to 35 percent, down from 46 percent in January.
Menendez was charged April 1 in a 14-count federal indictment that accuses him of using his influence to help Florida eye doctor Salomon Melgen in exchange for lavish vacations and campaign donations. Menendez says Melgen, who was also charged, is a friend and that he did nothing illegal or improper on his behalf.
Most of New Jersey's Democratic hierarchy has spoken in support of Menendez, who says he will not step down.
Menendez spokesman Mike Soliman says the senator has been the victim of a "smear campaign" and that the poll takers left out Menendez's side of the story when asking respondents what they think he should do.
"We believe that once New Jerseyans have the opportunity to hear Bob's side, and have the benefit of all the facts we have yet to present, they will form a very different conclusion," Soliman said in a statement. "In the meantime, he will continue as he always has, fighting for the people of New Jersey."
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The cellphone and landline poll of 1,428 randomly selected New Jersey voters was conducted April 9-14 and has a sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
