Menendez skips Hispanic State Parade in Hudson County

Under indictment for federal corruption charges, U.S. Senator Bob Menendez was a no-show at New Jersey’s 48th annual Hispanic State Parade in Hudson County today, possibly for the first time in his political career.

The parade takes place in the heart of Menendez’s base, traversing Bergenline Avenue through North Bergen, Union City, Guttenberg, and West New York.  It’s one of the biggest parades in New Jersey each year, and Menendez never misses marching in it.

If Menendez is to be viable in next year’s U.S. Senate primary, he’ll need huge support from the state’s Hispanic community.  But missing one parade signals nothing but a decision to skip one parade.

Thousands of people attend the parade, where  21 Hispanic nations are represented.

After top Democratic leaders called on him to resign, Menendez pointed to his Hispanic heritage.

“It is not lost on me how quickly some are rushing to judge a Latino and push him out of his seat,” he said.  “I am not going anywhere.”

The 69-year-old Menendez began his political career in 1974, at age 20, winning a seat on the Union City Board of Education.  He became mayor in 1986, an assemblyman in 1987, a state senator in 1991, and a congressman in 1992; he was the chairman of the House Democratic Caucus when Gov. Jon Corzine appointed him to the United States Senate in 2006.

Hours after his indictment, Menendez stepped down as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.