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Hudson Democrats say they’ll back Rob Menendez for re-election to Congress [1]
['David Wildstein']
Date: 2023-12-01 22:07:32+00:00
Hudson County Democrats are sticking with Rep. Robert J. Menendez (D-Jersey City) despite his father’s indictment on federal corruption charges, with Democratic County Chairman Anthony Vainieri, Jr. announcing his support today.
“Congressman Rob Menendez has made a major positive impact on Hudson County in his first term, and the Hudson County Democratic Organization is proud to stand with him and offer him our endorsement in 2024,” said Vainieri. “Menendez is a strong representative for Hudson County and someone we can count on to deliver for our residents.”
While the endorsement implies that Menendez will have the organization line next year, the statement lacks the names of specific Hudson mayors, county officials, and legislators – the show of support is from Vainieri alone, on behalf of the HCDO, suggesting that the freshman congressman from New Jersey’s 8th district still has work to do before feeling secure in his re-election prospects.
Update: At 9:36 PM, Menendez released endorsements from Union City Mayor/State Sen. Brian P. Stack and Hudson County Executive-elect Craig Guy.
Menendez began pushing for a commitment to secure party support for re-election in September, almost immediately after the Justice Department detailed their allegations against his father, U.S. Senator Bob Menendez, but some Hudson Democratic leaders resisted.
A Change Research poll of 762 Democratic primary voters in New Jersey’s 8th district shows that having the same name as his father is a liability for Menendez: 62% of Democrats say there is “no chance” of them voting for Robert Menendez.
The poll, conducted from November 28 to December 1, shows Robert Menendez with an upside-down favorables of 17%-51%. In a head-to-head matchup for the House, Menendez leads a likely primary opponent, Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla, by a 16%-13% margin. Two candidates who have not publicly expressed interest in the race, Jersey City Councilman James Solomon and Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez, are at 9% and 3%, respectively. Even with leaners, more Democrats pick a candidate who is not Menendez.
Bhalla, who has already raised over $400,000 and has more cash than Menendez, has favorables of 23%-10%, the poll shows.
Menendez has a short window to convince voters that he and his father are different people. So far, he has declined to distance himself from statements made by his father attacking Hudson Democrats who endorsed Tammy Murphy for U.S. Senate. Bob Menendez has not said if he will seek re-election to a fourth term.
Multiple sources say that Menendez has privately committed to endorsing Murphy over his father, although today’s statement from Vainieri does not address that.
On the day Murphy announced her candidacy for the Senate, Hudson Democrats endorsed her over Bob Menendez. Their statement of support included the names of the county’s most influential Democrats, including Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, Union City Mayor and State Sen. Brian P. Stack, North Bergen Mayor and State Sen. Nicholas Sacco, and Hudson County Executive-elect Craig Guy.
But today’s statement for Menendez included only Vainieri.
Just ten days ago, Hudson Democrats had telegraphed they would wait until January and poll Democratic primary voters to see if the Menendez name is too toxic to have him on their ticket.
Still, Vainieri pointed to Menendez’s accomplishments in his first term, including funding for infrastructure projects.
“The challenges we are facing are unprecedented and a test of our collective will to meet this moment. I see that every day, whether I am in the halls of Congress or meeting with constituents in the district. And the work ahead is bigger than any one person. We must all be in it together and work with leaders at every level of government to deliver the change our residents demand and deserve,” Menendez said. “That is why I am so honored to run with the Hudson County Democratic Organization and to collaborate with our incredible group of leaders. We must win the future for all our families and together, we will.”
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[1] Url:
https://newjerseyglobe.com/congress/hudson-democrats-say-theyll-back-rob-menendez-for-re-election-to-congress/
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