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Even as pressure on聽New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez (D) continues to mount over allegations of political favors, bribery, and prostitution, political analysts suggest the controversy, at this point, is unlikely to end the stalwart senator's 40-year political career.听

Over the weekend, calls for Senator Menendez to resign his post as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee gained momentum, with聽聽pressing him 鈥渢o relinquish his leadership role.鈥澛燭he Senate Ethics Committee is currently investigating allegations of his misconduct.听

But with little public outcry against Menendez in his home state or among his Senate colleagues 鈥� and with allegations of political favors hard to prove 鈥� Menendez could聽survive if further allegations do not emerge.听

鈥淚f what we know right now is all there is, I don鈥檛 think this is career ending," says Brigid Harrison, a political science professor at Montclair State University in Montclair, N.J., noting that Menedez was just reelected in November. "He has five years and ten months before re-election. That鈥檚 a really long time to rehabilitate your image.鈥�

Under scrutiny is Menendez鈥檚 relationship with Salomon Melgen, a wealthy West Palm Beach eye doctor and Democratic contributor. Recent reports have suggested Menendez was providing political favors for Mr. Melgen in exchange for campaign support.

鈥� Suspicion was first cast on Menendez after reports surfaced that the senator took two free round-trip flights aboard Melgen鈥檚 private jet for personal vacations at a luxury resort in the Dominican Republic in 2010. After news of the trips became widely known, Menendez acknowledged that he failed to report the trips 鈥� per Senate rules 鈥� and reimbursed Melgan $58,500 for the lift 鈥� almost three years later. (Some news organizations, including the conservative Daily Caller, 鈥� all unconfirmed 鈥� that the senator hired prostitutes during those trips. Menendez has .)

鈥⒙� Feb. 6聽that Menendez questioned top federal health-care officials, in 2009 and 2012, about their finding that Melgen had overbilled the government $8.9 million in Medicare claims. Days later, , Melgen donated $30,000 to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which Menendez then chaired. (FBI agents and Medicare Fraud units have since raided Melgen鈥檚 eye clinic in Florida.)

鈥� The other major complaint involves allegations, first elaborated Feb. 10 , that Menendez tried to prevent the US from donating port security equipment to the Dominican Republic in order to protect the business interests of his friend.

鈥� According to the Times, Menendez discouraged the Department of Homeland Security from donating the equipment because it would 鈥渦ndermine efforts by a private company,鈥� with connections to Melgen, to protect the contract, worth as much as $500 million over 20 years.

鈥� Further compounding the matter is to Majority PAC, a Super PAC created to elect Senate Democrats that ultimately made a $582,500 contribution to Menendez鈥檚 2012 re-election campaign, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.听

鈥淧robably the most significant aspect of the allegations that have been made centers around the misuse of authority or undue influence,鈥� says Dr. Harrison. 鈥淸Alleged favors were] not done on behalf of constituents 鈥� but on behalf of a campaign donor from another state. That鈥檚 what鈥檚 raising red flags in Washington.鈥�

Adds Ross Baker, a professor of political science at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J., the allegations 鈥渞evolve around one single person, a big contributor. Interventions on behalf of a contributor give the implication of a quid pro quo.鈥�

Menendez has . He called failure to disclose the trips an oversight caused by a hectic schedule and said allegations of prostitution were unsubstantiated 鈥渟mears鈥� by the right-wing media.听

As for the reported favors, Menendez in an interview that aired Feb. 10, 鈥淣o one has bought me, No. 1. No one. Ever. In the 20 years I鈥檝e been in Congress, never has it been suggested that that could even be possible. Never in 40 years of public life. So I鈥檓 not going to reach this moment in my life to make that a possibility.鈥�

Senate Democrats, including Sen. Harry Reid (D), Sen. Dick Durbin (D), and Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D), Menendez's New Jersey colleague in the Senate, have also stood by the embattled politician.听聽

That influential backing, coupled with the sheer difficulty of proving the allegations, are likely to work in Menendez's favor, analysts say.听

鈥淯nless there is some documented evidence to the fact that, 鈥業f you do this, I鈥檒l give you this,鈥� the usual defense is that politicians do this all the time,鈥� says Dr. Baker. Linking Melgen鈥檚 contributions to favors from Menendez, he adds, is a tough task.

The senator has also enjoyed wide support from other Senate Democrats, many of whom Menendez has helped over his 40-year career, says Harrison.

鈥淢enendez ingratiated himself to many Democrats in the Senate in his role as chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. A lot of folks owe their election to his fundraising prowess,鈥� she says. 鈥淧eople are indebted to him, they know him, they like him, he has helped them 鈥� there鈥檚 a bit of loyalty toward him.鈥�

Menendez鈥檚 constituents have been similarly tolerant.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 see a whole lot of people in New Jersey getting really riled up about this,鈥� says Harrison. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e not seeing the kind of passionate outrage that you might anticipate.鈥�

That鈥檚 due in part, she says, to a cynical populace used to political scandal and a relatively liberal culture with regards to social morays. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think that in the state of New Jersey this is a political death sentence,鈥� Harrison says.

Indeed, the senator has built a 40-year career in the state and was re-elected to a second term in the Senate this past fall with 58.5 percent of the vote. Still, he does risk succumbing to the same fate as another New Jersey Senator, Robert Torricelli, who decided not to run for re-election in 2002 amid allegations that he helped a major donor in exchange for gifts and contributions.

But it鈥檚 an unlikely fate, according to both Harrison and Baker.

鈥淏arring some new revelations 鈥� I think his chances for survival are good,鈥� says Baker.