BOLD PAC, the political action committee affiliated with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), announced today that it’s supporting Rep. Rob Menendez (D-Jersey City) for re-election as the congressman faces a tough Democratic primary challenge from Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla.
“As the only Latino currently representing New Jersey in the U.S. House of Representatives, Congressman Rob Menendez has fought tirelessly for the Latino community,” Rep. Linda Sánchez (D-California), BOLD PAC’s chair, said in a statement. “He is a proven leader on the issues that matter most to our community, like making life more affordable, lowering prescription drug prices, ensuring that healthcare remains affordable and accessible, and protecting reproductive freedom and much more.”
In and of itself, the endorsement is not remotely surprising. Menendez is a member of the CHC, and is – along with his father, Senator Bob Menendez – one of two Latinos representing New Jersey in Congress. It makes sense that his fellow Hispanic congressional Democrats, with whom he’s worked closely during his first year in office, would stay by his side.
But what is notable is the fact that Menendez is the first incumbent anywhere in the country that BOLD PAC has chosen to endorse; every other endorsee is a candidate running for an open seat or against a sitting Republican.
That’s an indication that national Democrats, and Hispanic Democrats in particular, are concerned about Menendez’s chances in his race against Bhalla, and invested in making sure the congressman wins. Both candidates raised huge sums in the 1st quarter of 2024, and polling shows Bhalla has a genuine shot at becoming the first candidate to unseat a New Jersey congressional incumbent in a primary in many decades.
If Menendez does lose, it would likely mean New Jersey would soon be without a Hispanic member of Congress for the first time since 1993, when his father, now-Senator Bob Menendez, took office. (The elder Menendez’s own political prospects went down the drain when he was indicted last year on federal corruption charges.) That would be a bad outcome for New Jersey’s Latino community, Sánchez said today.
“Over half the residents in the 8th district are Latinos (53%) and we know that Latino voters will remain central for decades to come,” Sánchez said. “Soon, those in New Jersey will again choose who will represent them in Congress, and BOLD PAC stands with Rob to ensure that the large Latino population across the nation, and especially in New Jersey, is well represented in Congress.”