George S. Helmy will take office today as the 81st person representing New Jersey in the United States Senate when he takes the oath of office around 5 PM.
Gov. Phil Murphy appointed Helmy to replace Bob Menendez, who resigned on August 20 following his conviction on federal corruption charges. He will serve until the results of the November general election between Democrat Andy Kim and Republican Curtis Bashaw are certified; Murphy has committed to appoint the winner.
Helmy will participate in Senate votes and hearings until an anticipated September 30 recess as some of his colleagues return to their home state to seek re-election. Kim or Bashaw could take office on or about December 2, assuming the Senate reconvenes before its anticipated December 20 adjournment.
The 44-year-old Mountain Lakes resident will be escorted for his swearing-in by the new senior senator from New Jersey, Cory Booker. Helmy served as Booker’s deputy chief of staff and state director before becoming Murphy’s chief of staff in early 2019. He had also served on the Senate staff of Booker’s predecessor, Frank Lautenberg. Booker becomes one of a small number of senators to serve alongside a former staffer.
Helmy becomes the 41st person to hold the seat initially occupied by John Elmer during the 1st Congress in 1789. Previous occupants of Helmy’s seat include John Kean, Joseph Frelinghuysen, Hamilton Kean, A. Harry Moore, Harrison Williams, Lautenberg and Jon Corzine.
Because the current Congress is set to adjourn on January 3, 2025, Helmy will take over Menendez’s seats on three Senate Committees: Foreign Relations, Finance, and Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs. He will serve as chairman of the Banking Subcommittee on Securities, Insurance, and Investment, which has jurisdiction over the Securities Exchange Commission, financial markets, government securities, and the insurance industry.
He will work out of Menendez’s old offices in the Hart Senate Office Building and in Jersey City and Barrington.
Helmy will become the first member of the Coptic Christian Church and the sixth Arab American to serve in the U.S. Senate. He will be the fifth-youngest member of the Senate.
He grew up in Jersey City, played football and basketball at Glen Ridge High School, attended Rutgers University, and earned a master’s degree from Harvard. Helmy worked for two Fortune 100 companies and owned a small business before working for Lautenberg. He is married and the father of two. Most recently, Helmy served as executive vice president and chief external affairs and policy officer at RWJ Barnabas Health.