The Hudson County Central Labor Council is backing Rep. Rob Menendez (D-8) for re-election, citing his commitment to fighting for union protections.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“When Rob first ran for Congress in 2022, he committed to supporting the men and women of organized labor, and that is exactly what he has done every single day since being sworn in,” Hudson County Central Labor Council President Barry Kushnir said in a statement.
“In Washington, Rob has been a fighter for organized labor, co-sponsoring the PRO Act and introducing legislation such as the Working Families Task Force Act and the Airline Employee Assault Prevention Act that would benefit union members across the country … Rob is a friend to all of our brothers and sisters in labor, supporting our right to good wages and key workplace protections, while addressing the affordability issues impacting Hudson County. We were proud to support Rob in 2022, and we are even prouder to support him again this year.”
Kushnir added that during his freshman term in the House, Menendez has brought $11 billion in federal funding back to the 8th district, that included creating good paying union jobs for labor projects, as well as leading a call for action to protect public transit operators.
The HCCLC is one of 500 state and local labor councils of the AFL-CIO.
Menendez already has the support of Hudson County Democratic Organization Chair Anthony Vainieri, all three local state senators: Angela McKnight (D-31), Raj Mukherji (D-32, both of whom are senator-elects), and Brian Stack (D-32), Hudson County Executive Craig Guy, and the Hudson County Board of Commissioners.
He has two declared challengers thus far: Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla and Kyle Jasey, the son of former Assemblywoman Mila Jasey (D-27).
While the 8th District is largely a Hudson County seat, it also includes Newark and Elizabeth. Mayor Ras Baraka and the Union County Democratic Organization have also signed on for Menendez’s re-election bid.
Besides Bhalla, the only prominent local official not to back Menendez is Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, whose feud with U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) goes back two decades when he challenged him for his congressional seat.
The elder Menendez, the former chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is facing corruption charges that include accepting bribes in the form of gold bars, cash, and a car, among other things, in exchange for his influence.
Two superseding indictments, the latest which was unsealed last week, further accuses him of acting as a foreign agent to Egypt and accepting bribes from developer Fred Dabies to help facilitate a deal with the Qatar government.
The HCDO endorsed First Lady Tammy Murphy, the wife of Gov. Phil Murphy (D), hours after she announced her candidacy in November, eliminating the possibility of them supporting both Menendezes in the June 4th primary.
Senator Menendez has not yet stated outright if he plans to seek re-election or not and the filing deadline is March 25th, with a trial date currently set for May 6th – he has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Bhalla needs to move out of New Jersey if he expects to have any chance at a political career. Other than “Clueless Joe” Quintero, who from within his own inner circle has publicly supported him? His naked ambition, lack of political skill and managerial ineptitude have finally caught up with him. Even the Ravi Bots must realize they bet on the wrong horse
Nepo Bobby is a corporatist, so he’ll support unions to a point. Then, the political bs about what’s best for the economy (spoiler: not gold bars) will come out to justify a vote against unions. Someday Hudson County will elect a true progressive.