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Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey was photographed leaving his office on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on September 28, 2023, and entering an elevator.
CNN
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A verdict in Sen. Bob Menendez’s corruption trial is weeks away, but voters on Tuesday will deliver a verdict on the New Jersey Democrat’s political family.
Menendez is not a candidate in the primary but is running for reelection as an independent, but his son, Rep. Rob Menendez Jr., is seeking a second term in New Jersey’s 8th Congressional District and faces a stiff challenge from a fellow Democrat.
Menendez Jr. ran largely unopposed for a New Jersey House seat in 2022 following the retirement of Democrat Albio Siles, an ally of his father. Progressives complained that the county’s Democratic Party organizations tried to clear the field for Menendez Jr., but he was easily nominated and served his first term as a congressman.
The indictment of Bob Menendez and Democratic Rep. Andy Kim’s campaign for Senate has once again stoked frustrations among progressives and paved the way for Hoboken Mayor Ravi Barra to challenge Menendez Jr. Local politicians now expect the primary to be close, and although Barra is outfunded, he is well positioned to take advantage of growing Menendez fatigue among voters.
Menendez Jr. is trying to turn the tables on Mayor Barra by bringing up unrelated corruption allegations against him. Barra is a former civil rights lawyer who has never been charged, but he has been sued by a former city commissioner, accused of unethical conduct by the New Jersey Supreme Court and was temporarily disbarred from practicing law in New York.
Barra is counting on a boost from his Hoboken base and allies in neighboring Jersey City, whose Mayor Steven Fulop plans to run for governor in 2025 on a similar anti-party platform. The Menendez campaign has walked a delicate balance between rallying support for the incumbent while bombarding his challenger with a spree of direct mail and online attack ads. One prominent street sign urges voters to check the box for “Joe Biden” in the presidential primary and “Rob’s” last name printed in small letters underneath in the congressional race.
Sen. Menendez filed on Monday to run as an independent for the fall Senate election. He announced in March that he would not seek reelection in the Democratic primary, but left open the possibility of running as an independent if he was found not guilty at trial. The senator has until Tuesday to file to run as an independent, but can withdraw his candidacy by Aug. 16.
Menendez’s decision drew immediate backlash from Democrats who worried it could upset his general election rival Kim and other Republican candidates and further complicate Menendez Jr.’s efforts to keep his father’s drama under wraps.
Kim, the leading Democratic contender for the Senate seat, blasted the senator’s move on Monday.
“Americans are tired of politicians putting their own interests above the interests of our country,” the southern New Jersey congressman said in a statement. “Everyone knows Bob Menendez is not running for the people of New Jersey, he’s running for himself.”
Kim and Barra faced similar obstacles early in the primary and found common ground: the problem of machine-assisted candidates benefiting from favorable ballot designs. New Jersey First Lady Tammy Murphy announced her Senate bid in November and quickly garnered early support from state party officials. But since Murphy withdrew and a court ordered the ballot changed, Kim has largely stayed away from the otherwise divisive race.
In federal court across the Hudson River, as Sen. Bob Menendez’s son spoke out in the final hours of the primary campaign, the senator’s lawyers cross-examined a former senior Agriculture Department official who they accused of trying to pressure the senator to drop an investigation into a New Jersey-based food monopoly owned by an ally.
Menendez’s lawyers argued that the senator did not pressure the USDA for any improper or corrupt reasons, but was simply advocating for the interests of his constituents. Indeed, in their opening statements, the lawyers acknowledged that while their client’s actions could be considered improper or corrupt, their defense of Menendez was not illegal.
The defense may hold up in court, but it’s politically damaging in a campaign: “I believe America is greater than demagogues and self-serving politicians who seek to divide us,” Barra said in a video announcing his challenge to Menendez Jr. last year. The message didn’t directly mention the senator’s father, but the implication was clear.
As the race has heated up, the candidates have become more outspoken. Menendez Jr. has grilled Barra about an alleged quid pro quo for a marijuana dispensary in Hoboken, frequently calling on the mayor to “stop hiding and lying and immediately be transparent with the American people” about the contract approval process.
Barra’s campaign continues to link the congressman with his father.
“Rob Menendez Jr. has not yet committed to supporting Senator Andy Kim, nor has he committed to supporting a Democratic candidate, as his father is running as an Independent for the same seat. With the Senate race still uncertain, his father’s candidacy could make New Jersey a hotbed of contention,” Barra campaign spokesman Rob Horowitz said in a statement.
Mr Barra received a belated but welcome boost last week when he received the endorsement of the Jersey Journal editorial board.
“As a freshman in the minority party of the Legislature, Menendez undoubtedly did his best, but voters now have an opportunity to right the wrong that was perpetrated against them two years ago,” the editorial board wrote.
Barra, who endorsed Menendez Jr. in his 2022 bid, also must fend off another challenger to win Tuesday’s election: businessman Kyle Jaycee, who is also running as a Democratic candidate, could draw anti-Menendez support from voters who are unfamiliar with or distrustful of the Hoboken mayor.
