Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla announced Tuesday he will challenge Rep. Rob Menendez (D-N.J.) in the Democratic primary, setting up a showdown in a very blue North Jersey district.
The election will test Menendez’s balancing act and whether he can avoid being dragged down by his father, Sen. Bob Menendez, who faces federal charges alleging he was an agent of the Egyptian government while leading the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and accepted bribes in the form of gold bars and envelopes of cash. The senator has denied the allegations but he faces his own political challenge, with Rep. Andy Kim (D-N.J) and New Jersey first lady Tammy Murphy seeking his seat next year, though he has not said whether he will run for reelection.
In a largely positive campaign launch video, Bhalla focused on discrimination but also support he faced because of his Sikh faith, his subsequent work as a civil rights attorney and his climate change record as mayor.
The campaign video also flashed an image of Rob Menendez’s father.
Hoboken is a small, densely populated city right across the Hudson River from Manhattan. The city was walloped during Hurricane Sandy and climate change has been one of Bhalla’s major issues. The city is taking oil companies to court and the mayor has worked to reduce flood risk, running in one race, in part, on the esoteric but important issue of stormwater management.
“As our Congressman, I will fight to make healthcare a right for everyone, take on climate change, protect a woman’s right to choose, battle back against hatred, and build an economy that works for all,” he said in a statement.
Shortly after the elder Menendez was indicted this fall, Bhalla said he was seriously considering a run against his son, a first-term member of Congress.
At first, it appeared the whole Menendez family’s support in North Jersey could crumble, but there is some indications Rob Menendez has been able to hold on to key supporters in the Democratic Party.
While Hudson County Democrats abandoned the elder Menendez, the son last week sewed up most of the county's Democratic support. Hudson County Executive-elect Craig Guy, its Democratic chair Anthony Vainieri and all but two of its mayors — Bhalla and Jersey City's Steven Fulop — last week backed Menendez for reelection to his House seat.
In a statement, Rep. Menendez questioned Bhalla's move.
"While we have advocated tirelessly for Hoboken, it seems the only reason Ravi has entered the race after endorsing me in 2022 and publicly applauding our work this year is because a week after losing control of the city council, he sees no political future for himself in Hoboken," he said.
Matt Friedman contributed to this report.
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