New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez is more toxic than the swamps in the Meadowlands.

Gov. Phil Murphy wants to steer clear of the tarnished senator — and this week jetted off to Israel and Germany during a time he should have been supporting his fellow Democrat, sources said.

Murphy, who’s also the de facto head of the state Democratic Party, left smack in the middle of an election campaign in which Menendez is fighting for his political survival against Republican Bob Hugin.

Murphy won’t be back until Wednesday, less than two weeks before Election Day.

One political insider briefed on the trip said the governor is anxious to avoid Menendez — who skated corruption charges thanks to a hung jury and was admonished by the US Senate — as much as possible.

“Murphy doesn’t want to be seen with Menendez. He wants to protect his own brand,” said the source.

Jersey Democrats admitted the timing of Murphy’s overseas trip is awkward.

Loretta Weinberg, the Democratic majority leader of the state Senate, said, “I’m sure people are talking about it.”

Asked if Murphy should be overseas so close to the Nov. 6 elections, she responded: “You have to ask the administration.”

“As for me, I’m the New Jersey Senate Democratic majority leader. I feel more comfortable being here in the state of New Jersey right now,” Weinberg said. “I feel more comfortable being here in New Jersey to help elect Democrats to the House and getting Bob Menendez re-elected.”

Murphy has been involved in discussions with German officials about green energy — particularly offshore wind — according to one of his press releases with a Hamburg dateline.

Murphy’s press office referred questions about the trip and the Menendez campaign to the state Democratic Party.

Party chairman John Currie, a close ally of the governor, insisted that Murphy is “100 percent” behind the senator and the party’s 12 congressional candidates.

“The governor can walk and chew gum at the same time. He has accessibility to a telephone,” said Currie.

“The governor is not running away from Sen. Menendez or any other Democratic candidate. He’s 100 percent engaged in every race in the state. He’s helping out Sen. Menendez tremendously. I know that because it flows through my office.”

Currie said Murphy, a former Goldman Sachs executive, has helped raise money for Democratic candidates and will be appearing with Menendez in Paterson the weekend before the election.

When he was running for governor last year, Murphy said little about Menendez, who was facing federal corruption charges at the time.

But after Menendez beat the rap thanks to a hung jury, Murphy broke his silence and said he’d back the two-term incumbent if he sought re-election.

Nevertheless, the US Senate voted in April to admonish Menendez for trading gifts for favors with a Florida eye doctor who bilked the federal government out of nearly $9 million.

A poll released Thursday shows Menendez leading Hugin, 49-40 percent, in large part because the election has become a referendum on President Trump.

Voters in Democratic-leaning New Jersey are willing to hold their noise and vote for the scandal-scarred incumbent because they are more disgusted with Trump, according to the Monmouth University survey.

When asked what was a more important factor in their vote, “your view of Bob Menendez or your view of Donald Trump,” 56 percent of voters picked Trump and just 31 percent selected Menendez.

“If these poll results hold, the first person Bob Menendez should thank in his election night victory speech is Donald Trump,” said pollster Patrick Murray.

“Given the national political climate and the big registration advantage enjoyed by Democrats, you might expect an incumbent senator from New Jersey to be up by 20 points,” he added.

“Hugin was successful in making this one competitive by hammering away at Menendez’s ethical baggage.”