Rep. Rob Menendez (D-Jersey City) has received the endorsement of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), a top national LGBTQ group, in his competitive Democratic primary against Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla.
“The American people deserve leaders committed to ensuring that everyone is treated with the dignity and respect they deserve and has what they need in order to thrive,” HRC national campaigns director Reg Calcagno said in a statement. “Congressman Menendez is one of those leaders. He has, and will continue to be, a champion for a future with full equality for all.”
The HRC, which endorses pro-LGBTQ equality candidates – a description that by now applies to nearly every Democrat in the country – also supported Menendez in his initial 2022 campaign for Congress. Menendez faced only minimal opposition in that election, though; this year’s fight against Bhalla is much more of a real test.
The Menendez family has a long history with the HRC. When then-Rep. Bob Menendez (the current congressman’s father) was appointed to the Senate in 2005, the HRC praised the decision and said Menendez brought a “strong record on GLBT equality to [the] Senate,” though it did ding the congressman for voting for the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996.
“Representative Menendez will be an advocate for fairness in the Senate,” then-HRC President Joe Solmonese said. “We congratulate him on his appointment and look forward to working with him as a U.S. senator.”