It was no surprise to my friend on the other side of the political aisle, Assemblyman Jamel Holley, that Sen. Bob Menendez walked away from his trial with no guilty verdict.

The senator wasn't exactly acquitted as you might think, with the flood of endorsements from politicians including the Governor-elect Phil Murphy. We had an interesting conversation about how the Democrats tend to rally around their own, while on the other side, Republicans seem to panic and look for the first chance to throw their own members "under the bus."

Jamel recently won re-election in the 20th District covering Elizabeth, Hillside, Roselle and Union. He's clearly a strong and rising star in the Democratic party in New Jersey. Look for him to be on statewide or Congressional ballot someday. For now, he's agreed to join our quest to find the best "downtown" experience in New Jersey and he'll be walking and dining in Roselle this Spring for our upcoming web series.

Bill Spadea is on the air weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m., talkin’ Jersey, taking your calls at 1-800-283-1015. Tweet him @NJ1015 or @BillSpadea.

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