The congressional primary between Rep. Rob Menendez (D-Jersey City) and Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla has split the Hoboken City Council, with the two 8th district candidates each receiving endorsements from some of the city’s nine councilmembers.
On Team Menendez are Councilmembers Ruben Ramos and Tiffanie Fisher; Fisher is a former Hoboken Democratic chairwoman who has become Bhalla’s most committed critic on the city council.
“Endorsing Rob for re-election is an easy decision for me,” Fisher said. “Rob’s unwavering commitment to democratic values, serving constituents, and securing federal resources for our district is commendable. What sets Rob apart is his accessibility and willingness to engage in open dialogue, always seeking ways to help residents of Hoboken.”
Bhalla, meanwhile, has the support of Councilmen Joe Quintero.
“Having worked closely with Mayor Bhalla over the past few years, I know first-hand what an effective mayor and exceptional leader he is – the kind of public official we need more of in Congress,” Quintero said. “In Congress, we can count on Ravi to stand up for women’s reproductive rights, work to protect and strengthen our democracy, and to speak out against the rising tide of hatred and racism that is plaguing our nation.”
The endorsements fall along pre-existing battle lines in Hoboken; some councilmembers, like Quintero, Councilman Phil Cohen, and Councilwoman Emily Jabbour, are strong Bhalla allies, while others – Ramos, Fisher, Council President Jennifer Giattino, and new Councilman Paul Presinzano – are more critical of his administration. Even though a race for Congress has little to do with the specific local issues at play in Hoboken, those political divides are clearly driving the dueling endorsements.
Bhalla also recently got the backing of Hector Oseguera and David Ocampo Grajales, who ran as off-the-line insurgent candidates for the same district in 2020 and 2022; Oseguera took on then-Rep. Albio Sires (D-West New York), while Ocampo Grajales went up against Menendez when the now-congressman first ran for office.
Neither Oseguera nor Ocampo Grajales performed especially well: Oseguera got 27% of the vote and Ocampo Grajales got 12%. But their endorsements are a signal that the broader Hudson County progressive universe is behind Bhalla, who as a sitting mayor and power player in the Hudson County Democratic Organization is not necessarily their most natural ally.
The endorsement from Ocampo Grajales drew blowback from a set of current and former Hudson County law enforcement officials, among them County Executive Craig Guy and County Sheriff Frank Schillari, who pointed to Ocampo Grajales’s statements in support of defunding the police.
“As current and former members of law enforcement, we are appalled and disappointed by Ravi Bhalla’s solicitation of an endorsement by David Ocampo Grajales – an activist who has again and again called to defund police departments, make our communities less safe and insulted the men and women who protect our families and neighbors on a daily basis,” the group said.
This story was updated at 9:33 p.m. with a correction: Jennifer Giattino is the Hoboken council president, not Phil Cohen.