With Democratic Sen. Jon Corzine's victory in the New Jersey gubernatorial election last week, the Governor-elect is faced with a major decision: who to pick as his replacement in the Senate. As Chris Cillizza reports over at The Washington Post's political blog The Fix, one possible appointee is already ramping up his campaign.

It's no secret that New Jersey Rep. Bob Menendez (D) wants to serve out the remaining year of Gov-elect Jon Corzine's term in the Senate. Menendez's public courtship of Corzine took a step forward Wednesday afternoon when a national Hispanic organization issued letters to two party leaders urging Menendez's appointment to the Senate.

The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials sent nearly identical letters to Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (Nev.) and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairman Charles Schumer (N.Y.) making the case for Menendez. "As Senate Democratic leader, we urge your leadership and influence in ensuring the appointment" of Menendez, wrote NALEO executive director Arturo Vargas in the missive to Reid.

Vargas added a warning if Menendez is passed over for the opening. "We are also committed to holding Democrat and Republican Party leaders accountable when they fail to recognize the growing Latino political clout and relegated qualified candidates to the back of the line," he wrote.

The letter is the latest in what is expected to be a series of public endorsements of Menendez to create the impression that his appointment is inevitable. It also shows that should Corzine pass over Menendez, he (as well as the party nationally) could face a backlash among Latinos -- the nation's fastest-growing voting bloc.

If Menendez gets Corzine's nod, he's still likely to face a primary challenge next June and a tough GOP candidate in the fall.

To some campaign watchers, New Jersey is now the Democrats' most endangered seat. The presumptive Republican candidate in next year's election, Tom Kean, is the son of an extremely popular former Republican Governor and appears to be free of the ethical problems that have plagued members of both parties in the state. Within the Democratic Party, there are quite a few pols interested in making the step up to the Senate.

Menendez, no doubt, would be a strong candidate for the Democrats. He has over $4 million on hand and, perhaps more importantly, would indicate to Hispanic voters across the country that the Democratic Party is very interested in their support. However, Menendez does have ties to a political machine, which could be a major drawback. Whether the first two attributes trump the third is one of the major questions that Corzine will have to weigh in the next few weeks.

For more on the race, check out this previous post entitled "Corzine Considers African American Woman as Replacement."