Menendez beats Ali in NJ-8, boosting his political standing

Rep. Rob Menendez (D-Jersey City) has defeated progressive primary challenger Mussab Ali in the 8th congressional district, the New Jersey Globe projects, solidifying the congressman’s hold on his heavily Democratic Hudson County district.

Ali had attempted to argue that the 8th district needed a more left-wing representative, pointing to Menendez’s support from pro-Israel and pro-AI groups as well as making inevitable connections to his father, imprisoned ex-Senator Bob Menendez. But Ali never garnered the kind of money or attention for his bid that he was hoping for, allowing Menendez to sail to victory.

As of 12:46 a.m. and with nearly all votes counted, Menendez leads Ali, the former president of the Jersey City school board, 69% to 31%.

First elected in 2022, Menendez spent his earliest years in Congress overshadowed by his father, who cleared the way for his political career to begin. The elder Menendez rapidly switched from asset to liability, however, when he was indicted on bombshell corruption charges, thrusting the entire Menendez family into the national spotlight.

As his father pleaded his case in court, the younger Menendez faced a vicious primary against Ravi Bhalla, then the mayor of Hoboken, to hold onto his seat. Bhalla explicitly made the argument that voters should reject Menendez because of his dad, but the congressman deftly convinced his constituents to judge him on his own merits; campaigning with the full support of Union City Mayor Brian Stack and other local party leaders, Menendez won 52% to 38%.

That didn’t entirely quiet the discontent from certain wings of the local progressive bloc, though, and Ali, who finished in fourth place in last year’s Jersey City mayoral campaign, began making moves towards a new challenge against the congressman late last year. 

Ali ran less heavily against Bob Menendez than Bhalla did, instead focusing on Menendez’s ties to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and the AI and cryptocurrency industries. In the final weeks of the race, Menendez unexpectedly benefited from nearly $1 million in outside expenditures from AI- and crypto-backed super PACs, lending some credence to Ali’s argument.

But Ali struggled to raise much money or consolidate even the most progressive neighborhoods of the district behind his campaign, neighborhoods that voted strongly for Bhalla in 2024 but have since become more amenable to Menendez. Would-be Ali allies like Jersey City Mayor James Solomon stayed out of the race; even Bhalla, now a state assemblyman, didn’t endorse against his erstwhile nemesis.

Menendez, meanwhile, took great care to shore up his support from the more progressive wing of his party, earning endorsements from Senator Andy Kim and Hoboken Mayor Emily Jabbour. He paired that with the continued backing of Stack and other party leaders in the district, who are able to gin up huge margins out of Hudson County’s Hispanic-majority towns.

Menendez also could point towards his activism at Delaney Hall, the controversial immigrant detention center that became a focal point in the final week of the campaign. Both Menendez and Ali made repeated visits to the facility, located just outside of the 8th district: Menendez as a congressional observer inside the facility, Ali as a protester outside of it.

It’s possible that Menendez will still face more primary challenges into the future, but with such a huge victory at his back, he’s in a stronger position than ever before. Down in Washington, Menendez has been slowly climbing the ranks, earning a spot on the powerful House Energy & Commerce Committee last year.

Republicans, for their part, don’t even have a candidate in the deep-blue 8th district after a petition snafu prevented their choice from making the primary ballot. Instead, local GOP leaders are backing Aristotle Eliopoulos, a teachers union official and registered Republican who filed to run as an independent.