Calling it the ‘most depressing choice for New Jersey voters in generations’, the Star-Ledger this morning endorsed incumbent Democrat Senator Bob Menendez for re-election.

Telling voters to ‘choke it down’, the paper slammed Menendez, saying its a ‘miracle’ he ‘escaped criminal conviction’ but said that Hugin ‘is no better’, slamming the challenger for his ad claiming Menendez patronized prostitutes in the Dominican Republic, calling it the ‘most vicious lie of this campaign season’ and taking aim at his Celgene tenure.

Pointing to President Trump’s ‘toxic’ policies, the Ledger says the Menendez endorsement is an ‘easy decision’, calling him the ‘better choice, by far’.

Ending the endorsement with an admonishment of other statewide Democrats, the paper wrote ‘it’s a disgrace that Democratic leaders like Sen. Cory Booker and Gov. Phil Murphy rallied to support Menendez early on, when a stronger candidate could have beaten him in a primary. This race is a rated as a tossup now, in a year when a generic Democrat could win in a walk.  Our hope is that voters remember that Trump is on the ballot, that they choke down their reluctance and vote for Menendez. He’s no gem, but he’s better than Hugin.’