Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla has outraised U.S. Rep. Rob Menendez (D-8) overall, but the incumbent had a better first quarter this year, as well as more cash on hand, according to reports filed with the Federal Elections Commission (FEC).
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“My opponent continues to rely on special interest PACs and lobbyists to fund his campaign. My campaign continues to be powered by individuals,” Bhalla said in a statement this morning.
“As our congressman, I will stand up to the special interests and fight every day for the working families of the 8th congressional district.”
To date, Bhalla has raised about $1.6 million, with $649,077 from the first quarter of 2024, and $991,198 cash on hand, his April 15th report shows
As was the case when he raised a mammoth $974,484.56 in the 4th quarter of 2023, Bhalla received hundreds of donations from fellow members of the Sikh community, from states such as Maryland, Michigan, Connecticut, North Carolina, California, Ohio, Virginia, Texas, New York, and New Jersey.
Additionally, Hoboken Library Board of Directors President Jerome Abernathy contributed $1,000, Board of Education Vice President Sharyn Angley donated $250, and The Light Group COO Brandon Bovin chipped in $3,500 (he’s business partners with Assemblyman John Allen, D-32).
The Light Group Founder and CEO Pat Light gave $6,000, Battalion Fire Chief Mario Fini chipped in $3,300, Foundation Risk Partners Vice President Ryan Graham donated $3,300, law firm Florio Kenny Reval LLP gave $3,000, as did partner Ed Florio, while Hudson Regional Hospital Board Chair Yan Moshe contributed $3,300.
Furthermore, Florio Perrucci Steinhardt Cappelli & Tipton Co-Founder and Partner Michael Perucci gave $3,500, Fire Chief Anton Peskens donated $1,500, former 2nd Ward council candidate Marla Decker gave $500, as did Moms Demand Action of Hudson County leader Amy Faucher and Councilman-at-Large Joe Quintero.
Also of note, former U.S. Senator Bob Toricelli gave $2,000 and Jersey City Ward E Councilman James Solomon contributed $1,085.04.
Bhalla also hasn’t been shy about spending: paying Washington, D.C.-based Break Something Inc. $175,830.14 for email fundraising; $173,009.37 for direct mail from Washington, D.C.-based Mission Control Services; $33,695.66 for Brooklyn-based consulting group AFPCF, LLC; $20,000 for consulting from Rob Horowitz Associates, Inc., and $17,995.47 for Enigma Political Consulting LLC, along with various other consulting and travel costs.
On the other hand, the Menendez campaign chose to let their haul speak for itself: raising $677,775.32 in the first quarter, with $1,175,405.20 cash on hand, his April 15th report shows, corroborating the numbers his campaign released on Friday.
The AIPAC PAC donated $96,383.95, Scarinci & Hollenbeck gave $6,600, as did founding partner Donald Scarinci, Applied Companies Co-Founder Joe Barry, of Hoboken, gave $5,000, Royal Printing Services Partner David Passante contributed $4,300, while Alamo Insurance Group Founder and President Louis Alamo wrote a check for $3,300, as did former Mack-Cali CEO Michael DeMarco.
The Jersey City Officers Association, a fire department PAC, chipped in $1,000, the same amount that the campaign accounts for Assembly members Angela McKnight, Will Sampson (both D-31), Gabriel Rodriguez (D-33), and Michael Venezia (D-34), Hudson County Sheriff Frank Schillari, Bayonne Mayor Jimmy Davis, East Newark Mayor Dina Grilo, and Hudson County Commissioner Al Cifelli (D-9) got involved at.
Assemblywoman Barbara Stamato (D-31), who is also the Jersey City Democratic Organization chair, donated $500, the same amount as Kearny 4th Ward Councilman Stathis Theodoropoulos. State Senator Raj Mukherji (D-32) contributed $2,000.
Beyond that, former West New York Commissioner Gerry Lange chipped in $2,000, former Jersey City Corporation Counsel Bill Matsikoudis got involved at $1,250, Faucher, one of the people few to support both candidates, donated $500, as did 2nd Ward Councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher, while Jersey City Board of Education Trustee Natalia Ioffe gave $250.
Law firm Genova Burns gave $6,600, which was matched by Founding Partner Angelo Genova, Awsom Associates LLC President Bob Sommer contributed $3,300, the same amount as Pegasus Partners Principal Mark Villamar and former Hoboken Councilwoman Beth Mason, while Landmark Developers President Frank Cretella wrote a check for $2,000.
New York Waterway Chairman and CEO Armand Pohan chipped in $3,300, as did former West New York Housing Authority Executive Director Bob DiVincent.
Also worth mentioning, West New York Mayor Albio Sires, Menendez’s predecessor, donated $3,000 from his congressional account, while U.S. Rep. Pete Aguiar (D-CA), who just hosted a fundraiser for Menendez, donated $2,000.
Overall, the incumbent saw $182,700 in PAC donations, including $10,00 from the Leadership PAC of scandal-plagued U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ), the congressman’s father.
Rep. Menendez’s expenses were relatively low, with his largest spend by far being $49,000 for a TargetSmart poll on January 30th that showed him with a 22-point lead (Bhalla’s poll from around that time showed them “statistically tied”).
His only other notable spend was $27,000 on Jersey City-based Media Fortitude for digital advertising.
The third candidate on the ballot for the 8th District June 4th primary, Kyle Jasey, raised only $4,648, all but assuring he won’t be able to seriously compete in this one.
