Rep. Donald Payne Jr. (D-Newark) is backing neighboring Rep. Rob Menendez (D-Jersey City) for re-election this year, putting another sitting member of the House in Menendez’s corner as the freshman congressman faces a tough fight for renomination.
“I support Rob,” Payne told the New Jersey Globe yesterday. “So far, what I’ve seen of him, he’s doing an incredible job – far better than I was as a freshman. His understanding of the issues has been very impressive, so I believe he’s earned the right to continue in that capacity.”
On New Jersey’s congressional map, Payne’s 10th district and Menendez’s 8th district are like two interlocking pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Both districts span Essex, Hudson, and Union Counties and each includes parts of Newark and Jersey City, meaning that the two congressmen share local concerns and priorities to a greater extent than most neighboring House members.
Menendez has already gotten the formal endorsement of the local Democratic organizations in Hudson County – which makes up a majority of the 8th district – and in Union County. Democrats in Payne’s home of Essex County, on the other hand, have not officially said whether they’re backing Menendez, but Payne indicated that they likely will.
“I don’t see why not,” he said.
Even with full party support in his corner, though, Menendez could still be in political danger. The federal corruption charges against the congressman’s father, Senator Bob Menendez, have done serious damage to the Menendez family name, and Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla’s Democratic primary campaign has already raised $1 million to bring the younger Menendez down.
See here for a full list of endorsements in New Jersey’s 2024 congressional contests.