Rob Menendez endorsed by Andy Kim, bolstering progressive credentials

Rep. Rob Menendez (D-Jersey City) has received a number of endorsements this cycle from the establishment-aligned Democrats who propelled him to victory the past two election cycles, but he’s now also got the support of the state’s most prominent Democratic reformer.

U.S. Senator Andy Kim said today that Menendez, who may be facing another Democratic primary challenge after surviving an expensive contest in 2024, deserves a third term representing the state’s deep-blue 8th congressional district.

“Rob and I didn’t know each other very well until two years ago when we had a long and honest one-on-one conversation about what it meant to be dads of young kids in Congress,” Kim said in a statement. “We talked about what drives us in politics and came to agree on the need to build a different kind of politics that is focused on delivering for people.”

“I learned a lot about Rob that day, and since then he and I have worked closely on tough issues like seeking accountability at Delaney Hall to pushing for government reforms including banning Congressional stock trading,” he continued. “I’ve really appreciated his partnership and strongly support his re-election to continue to serve the people of New Jersey.”

Kim and Menendez found themselves on the opposite side of a New Jersey political reckoning in 2024, when Hudson County Democrats aligned behind Menendez for re-election and behind First Lady Tammy Murphy for Senate against Kim. After Murphy ended her campaign, Hudson Democrats dutifully endorsed Kim, but the then-congressman still continued his fight against the county line, the now-defunct ballot design system that once helped county parties stay in power.

Throughout that election season, however, Kim and Menendez never came into conflict personally, and in fact never officially endorsed against one another in their respective races (though Kim did appear at events with Ravi Bhalla, Menendez’s primary opponent).

As a senator, Kim has remained closely involved in state politics, endorsing candidates opposed by their local political machines and pushing for primary challengers to Democratic state legislators who oppose good-government legislation. The fact that he’s weighing in on Menendez’s behalf, then, is a bullish sign for the congressman’s ability to make up ground among the progressive, anti-machine voters he lost in 2024.

Menendez also has gotten support from the Hudson County Democratic Organization, State Sen./Union City Mayor Brian Stack, and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus’s political arm, all of which previously came together in 2024 to help Menendez beat Bhalla. Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill, who has endorsed all Democratic incumbents in the state for re-election, is behind him as well.

Menendez has no declared primary opponents as of yet, but there’s been widespread speculation about another intra-party fight, with former Jersey City school board president Mussab Ali potentially taking up the charge against the congressman.