U.S. Senator Cory Booker has endorsed Robert J. Menendez for the Democratic nomination for Congress in New Jersey’s 8th district, where Rep. Albio Sires (D-West New York) is retiring after the 2022 elections.
“Albio will leave big shoes to fill, and having gotten to know Rob Menendez for many years, I have no doubt that he will rise to the occasion,” said Booker. “Serving in Congress requires a dedication to your community, compassion, and hard work. Rob embodies these, and I am thrilled to support him for Congress.”
Less than one week after the New Jersey Globe first reported Sires’ decision not to seek re-election, Menendez, an attorney and the son of Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez, has emerged as the clear front-runner for the Democratic nomination in a safe Democratic seat.
On Thursday, Menendez won the endorsements of Gov. Phil Murphy, Senate President-designate Nicholas Scutari, Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop and Elizabeth Mayor Christian Bollwage. He has secured the organization lines in Hudson and Union counties.
Booker also paid tribute to Sires, who has represented New Jersey in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2006.
“Service to others and to one’s community is the highest calling, and I’m thankful to Congressmen Sires for his decades of public service to New Jersey,” Booker stated. “As the first Hispanic Assembly Speaker in New Jersey, he was a trailblazer for others who came after him and so many of us owe him a debt of gratitude.”
Sires had been among the first New Jersey House members to endorse Booker after he announced his bid for the 2020 Democratic U.S. Senate nomination and had backed Booker for U.S. Senate in the 2013 special primary election.
“I will miss serving in Congress with Albio, but I know his commitment to our state will continue beyond his time in Congress,” said Booker.
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