Jon Corzine

…he defeated the Democratic incumbent, Jon S. Corzine, by a comfortable margin. Although a Republican candidate in a staunchly Democratic state, Christie connected with a wide spectrum of voters, in part because he projected the image of a regular middle-class man who could be seen as more approachable than Corzine,…

Jon Corzine appointed him to fill a vacant seat in the U.S. Senate. Menendez won a special election later that year to retain the seat.