Rep. Rob Menendez (D-Jersey City) has a 22-point lead over Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla in the Democratic primary for Congress in New Jersey’s 8th district, according to an internal poll of registered Democrats obtained by the New Jersey Globe.
Menendez leads Bhalla, 46%-24%, with a third candidate, Kyle Jasey, with 6%.
But perhaps more importantly, an overwhelming number of Democrats say they won’t hold the allegations of bribery and other crimes leveled against his father, three-term U.S. Senator Bob Menendez, against him.
More than three-quarters of Democrats (77%) agreed that “the son should not have to pay for the sins of the father, and people should judge Congressman Rob Menendez based on his record, not on the actions of Senator Bob Menendez.”
Asked if “Congressman Rob Menendez is his own person and should not be punished for the actions of his father, Senator Bob Menendez,” 73% said they agreed. Put another way, just 16% agreed that “Congressman Rob Menendez should be held accountable for the actions of his father Senator Bob Menendez.”
“The conventional wisdom that Congressman Menendez faces an uphill battle as a consequence of the situation surrounding his father is misplaced based on the findings of this research,” said Ben Lazarus of TargetSmart, a Democratic polling firm. “This poll shows that Congressman Menendez is a popular incumbent with a strong base of support, and he is the clear frontrunner to win the Democratic nomination in CD-8 come June.”
Still, after thirteen months in Congress, Menendez is working to establish his own identity. He has favorables of 33%-27% and job approvals of 51%-25%.
“CD-8 primary voters hold a series of nuanced and fair-minded views about the unique familial situation that sets the stage for Congressman Menendez’s first bid for re-election,” Lazarus said.
The live telephone, bi-lingual poll was in the field from January 25 to February 1 with a sample size of 400 registered Democrats and a margin of error of +/- 4.9%.