The US Department of Justice announced that they will attempt to retry Senator Bob Menendez on corruption charges, after the first trial ended in a deadlocked jury in mid-November.

The DOJ’s Public Integrity Unit filed a notice that reads: “The United States files this notice of intent to retry the defendants and requests that the Court set the case for retrial at the earliest possible date.  Defendants Robert Menendez and Salomon Melgen have been indicted for bribery and corruption by two separate grand juries properly empaneled in the District of New Jersey. The first trial ended in a mistrial with a deadlocked jury. An early retrial date is in the best interests of the public, and the United States is available to schedule a retrial at the Court’s earliest convenience.”

Up for re-election this year, Menendez had received numerous statements of support for a re-election bid from Democratic power players around the state in the immediate aftermath of the hung jury verdict. The GOP field is still open, though sources say the state party is coalescing around Celgene exec Bob Hugin.

Menendez’s office issued a statement here.