Newly sworn-in Democratic Sen. George S. Helmy of New Jersey doesn’t like to be in front of the camera — not because of a phobia, he said, but just because he doesn’t like it.
“I know myself, and that’s not where I best fit into the public discourse,” he said, explaining why he’s sticking to his pledge to never run for elected office.
Helmy prefers to stay behind the scenes, which is what he did when he first got into politics. He previously worked for two Democratic senators from his home state — Frank R. Lautenberg and Cory Booker — and went on to serve as chief of staff for New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy.
It was Murphy who appointed him to fill the Senate seat left open after Bob Menendez was convicted on corruption charges and resigned his seat. And it was Booker who stood beside him as Helmy was sworn in on Sept. 9.
His time in office will be exceptionally brief. Helmy will step aside after November’s Senate election is certified to make way for the winner, heavily favored to be Democratic Rep. Andy Kim. In the meantime, he plans to “immerse” himself in the Capitol building and its history, run some pro forma sessions in October and talk about issues like youth mental health.
“I want to do this job at the highest level I can, literally until the last day,” said Helmy, who most recently ran the government relations shop at RWJBarnabas Health. “I appreciate that I’m not going to have a massive bill that’s going to bear my name. That’s not what I’m about. … But you have the opportunity to elevate your voice in hopes that somebody else continues that down the train track.”
This interview has been edited and condensed.
Q: What is your earliest memory of politics?
A: My parents, who emigrated from Egypt, would talk about the importance of institutions and democracy in the United States, and so my brother and I grew up valuing that. In this country, you actually have the freedom to raise your voice on issues where you dissent, and you not only have the incredible right to vote, but you can be the person influencing policy or politics.
Q: When did you realize you wanted to be involved yourself?
A: I think it happened upon meeting Frank Lautenberg. When I met Frank, he was already a well-established senator, and hearing him talk about issues like infrastructure, clean water, the chemicals that go into the colors that are in this leather [chair that I’m sitting on], and what that meant to your own well-being, both economic and physical, that to me was like a light bulb. I thought I’d love to be a part of how those things go from ideas to actual policy.
Q: How did you start working for Lautenberg?
A: My mentor at [UPS], the company I worked for at the time, introduced me. I met with a number of folks on the senator’s team, and we hit it off. I have a very irregular way of coming into politics. I didn’t come up as a campaign volunteer at a very young age. I was in my late 20s or early 30s when I started to get involved. I come from a business background, and Sen. Lautenberg came from a business background, so there was a little bit of an obvious connection, but that was it.
Q: He was a Democrat, but you were a registered Republican until 2011, when you became unaffiliated. Was that job the impetus?
A: No. My parents are Republicans. We grew up in a house that loved democracy and loved the country, so I registered as a Republican. Over time, the Republican Party has changed.
I tell you who I am by what I do, not by some piece of paper that I signed with an affiliation, and my entire career has been advancing democratic priorities. This cycle I registered as a Democrat because I wanted to vote in the Democratic primary. We have a closed primary system in New Jersey, and I did the same thing in 2018. Mikie Sherrill is now my congresswoman. She was in a primary that year, and so I registered to vote for her, and then I unaffiliated again.
Q: What was your job with Lautenberg like?
A: I was a staff assistant, then a caseworker, and then a projects person. I worked up the state office chain. When I got there, Sen. Lautenberg was already advanced in age and maybe not running for the next term, and he was working on two really important pieces of legislation — one that would change the way the government did loans for massive infrastructure projects, and the other one was the Chemical Safety Act.
I remember no one in the office was like, “That’s not a priority.” It was still a priority, because they understood that whether they got it done or the next person got it done, it was really important to the nation, and that just stuck with me. And it has translated into how I think about this short-term role.
Q: Next you worked as a senior staffer and state director for Cory Booker. What memories stand out?
A: He is a genuinely decent person. I’ve seen him with members he most likely disagrees with on almost everything, but he engages them with a kindness and a willingness to listen that I think is incredibly rare.
I don’t like being on camera — not because of a phobia, I just don’t enjoy it. But Cory had this thing in the truck, when we were doing our long drives across the state, of putting you on Instagram. And you can tell in those videos that I’m not happy, because you’re doing important work, you’re briefing him on whatever the meeting is, and he’s like, “Hey, I’m sitting here with George. We’re on the road to Salem County.” It was not something I enjoyed in the moment, but I look back on it now, and I love it and I laugh.
Q: Now that you’re a senator yourself, what has it been like to take over Menendez’s high-profile committee assignments?
A: It’s humbling to be at the dais and to be treated as an equal and to have the courtesy and respect granted to me. I think I’ve gone over my time every time I ask questions, but at the same time, my experience has sort of prepared me for it. And you know, we’re lucky here, the team and I — we are all current and former staffers, right? You just have this wealth of knowledge.
Q: However brief, what would you consider a successful stint in the Senate?
A: It’s simple. I want to run an efficient office, and by that I mean, when constituents are calling in for help, there’s a competent and empathetic voice on the other side.
And then, frankly, just by the nature of me being here, we’re able to move judges and nominations. So success is being here and allowing the chairs and the leader to move a number of the nominations that have been stuck.
And the last pillar of success is to not shy away from elevating the issues that are important to me. On youth mental health, we’re on a number of bipartisan bills. In the Banking and Finance [committees], we are elevating issues for New Jerseyans [like] the SALT tax deduction.
Q: When you accepted this appointment from your former boss Gov. Murphy, you said, “I have never, nor will I ever, seek elected office.”
A: I’ve had people ask me, “Why would you say that?” It’s hard to explain it. I’m just true to myself. I can help you put together a winning campaign, and I’ve done that quite a bit, but I’ve never wanted to be the candidate.
I like being relied on by the candidate or the principal, and I like that they know I’m the most loyal guy in the room, and that’s it. I look forward to going back to being somebody who people can rely on to help advance conversations.
Debating issues at the staff level — I just love that, putting together the strategy that gets you where you’re trying to go.
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