Both candidates for U.S. Senate come up appallingly short of an enthusiastic endorsement. But we cannot, in good conscience, support Bob Menendez, regardless of whatever good he has accomplished in his 12 years of service.

When Menendez should have been busy doing the citizens' business, he was wasting their money with an 11-week federal corruption trial for accepting gifts and trips from a friend and campaign donor in exchange for political favors. Menendez was neither convicted nor acquitted in the mistrial, but he was rebuked by the Senate Ethics Committee for his misdeeds.

This is not who we want as a leader of our state, although we acknowledge Menendez's work in bringing the KC-46s to Joint Base McGuire-Dix Lakehurst, and in getting legislation approved that will qualify the Deborah Heart & Lung Center for millions of dollars in higher Medicare reimbursements.

Then there's Republican challenger Bob Hugin, the former CEO of the Celgene biopharmaceutical company.

Hugin is carrying his own hefty load of baggage, although that hasn't stopped him from relentlessly pounding Menendez with campaign ads over his ethical slip-ups. Pot, meet kettle.

Hugin turned Celgene into a multibillion-dollar company, largely on the success of a cancer drug, for which he has been accused of overinflating the price, to the detriment of cancer sufferers who couldn't afford it. Other accusations against Hugin during his time at Celgene are equally unflattering, which led to a $280 million settlement of a whistleblower lawsuit.

Now he wants to be a senator.

New Jerseyans have a difficult choice to make, just as we did. If voters hold their nose and vacillate between pushing a lever for either Menendez or Hugin, we understand. If they decide to make a selection from one of the six alternate-party candidates, we also understand.

Because Menendez embarrassed himself and brought disgrace to his office, Hugin deserves a chance to do better, even if our expectations are low. It won't help him that he is a supporter of former Gov. Chris Christie, President Donald Trump and controversial Supreme Court choice Brett Kavanaugh.

Rattled Democrats, moderates and undecideds might be appeased because Hugin believes the tax reform bill's $10,000 cap on the deduction for state and local taxes hurts New Jerseyans, and he's talked up fee-for-service reforms and other changes to try to bring down health care costs.

In addition, Hugin says he is pro-choice, and supports marriage equality, universal background checks for gun purchases, and the decriminalization of marijuana. He also favors immigration reform that provides a pathway to citizenship. It's a hopeful sign.

Then again, we may regret this leap of faith.

WE RECOMMEND: Bob Hugin