The political action committee of the National Organization for Women (NOW) announced today that it is supporting Rep. Rob Menendez (D-Jersey City), marking another national endorsement for the congressman as he faces down two Democratic primary opponents.
“The National Organization for Women is proud to endorse Rob Menendez, who has been a continual champion of the [Equal Rights Amendment],” NOW PAC Treasurer Bear Atwood, a former NOW-New Jersey president, said in a statement. “His efforts to push for access to reproductive healthcare, affordable housing, and childcare are the work we need to ensure the future for women.”
Menendez is one of three candidates vying for the Democratic nomination in the 8th congressional district, a majority-Hispanic seat covering most of Hudson County as well as Elizabeth and parts of Newark. His main opponent is Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla; also running is Kyle Jasey, a real estate lender from a political family.
Menendez’s single term in Congress has been a relatively uncontroversial one, and – like most uncontroversial incumbents – he’s gotten the lion’s share of support from national groups and local politicians. Among other endorsements, Menendez is supported by every local county party in the 8th district and by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
But the federal indictment against his father, Senator Bob Menendez, left an opening that Bhalla has readily exploited, making the race highly competitive. Both Bhalla and Menendez have raised more than a million dollars, and their campaigns (or their affiliated PACs) are both up on the air with negative ads slamming the other as corrupt and unethical.