Bhalla has banked a massive $509k for possible primary challenge against Menendez son

Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla has already raised a mammoth $509,000 for a possible bid to challenge freshman Rep. Robert J. Menendez (D-Jersey City) in the Democratic primary next year, the New Jersey Globe has confirmed.

Bhalla’s substantial warchest, raised in just four weeks, is more than Menendez’s $433,244 cash-on-hand after his first nine months in Congress.  That gives him an early cash advantage before the next Federal Election Commission filing date of January 31, 2024.

New Jersey Democrats smoothed the way for Menendez to get the 8th district congressional seat in 2022 after Rep. Albio Sires (D-West New York) announced his retirement.

But now, following the sensational indictment of Menendez’s father, U.S. Senator Bob Menendez, on federal corruption charges in September, Bhalla is exploring a run for Congress.

“Mayor Bhalla is encouraged by the strong positive response to his candidacy, which conclusively demonstrates that if he decides to run, he will have the resources to mount a strong campaign, communicating his message at saturation levels to 8th district Democratic primary voters,” said Rob Horowitz, a spokesman for Bhalla.

After eight years on the city council, the 49-year-old Bhalla won a close race for mayor in 2017 and was re-elected in 2021 without opposition.

Menendez, 38, locked up party support for Sires’ seat in just five days, winning endorsements from Gov. Phil Murphy, U.S. Senator Cory Booker, Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, Union City Mayor/State Sen. Brian Stack, North Bergen/Sen. Nicholas Sacco, and other key Hudson Democrats.   Other potential candidates, including Bhalla, expressed interest but saw that the field had been cleared.

While Bob Menendez was well-positioned to secure a congressional seat for his son then, now he no longer is.  His indictment on bribery and conspiracy charges – and for serving as an unregistered agent of a foreign government while he chaired the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

A Stockton University poll released on October 26 showed Bob Menendez’s job approval at 8%, with 71% of New Jerseyans saying he should resign.   Perhaps more damming is a Fairleigh Dickinson University poll released a week earlier that 71% of Hispanics think he should step down – something the three-term U.S. Senator has refused to do.

The day after the Justice Department unveiled the indictment against Bob Menendez, Rep. Andy Kim (D-Moorestown) said he would seek the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate.  First Lady  Tammy Murphy is expected to enter the race on Wednesday.

Before his father’s indictment, Menendez appeared to be coasting.  He raised a feeble $114,108 in the first two quarters of 2023 and $255,547 in the third quarter.

If Bhalla wins the primary – the general election in the 8th district is not competitive for Republicans – he would become the first Sikh American to serve in Congress since Rep. Dalip Singh Saund left office in 1963.

It’s not clear if any other candidates will emerge to challenge Menendez for Congress.

If Murphy becomes the organization-backed Senate candidate in Hudson, Essex, and Union counties, where the 8th district is situated, Bhalla might have the option of bracketing with Kim on the primary ballot.