A poll conducted by the re-election campaign of U.S. Rep. Rob Menendez (D-8) shows him leading Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla by 22 points in a three-way race, with 77 percent of respondents indicating that the “sins” of his father are not a significant factor.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
Conducted by TargetSmart between January 25th and February 1st, the live telephone poll sampled 400 voters and had Menendez securing 46 percent of the vote, with Bhalla getting 24 percent, and Kyle Jasey finishing last with six percent, a poll memo says.
19 percent of poll respondents remained undecided, while 4 percent said they would prefer someone else beyond the three Democrats that have declared their candidacies.
A head-to-head contest between Menendez and Bhalla saw the incumbent up 66 to 34, while 77 percent of poll respondents believe “the son should not have to pay for the sins of the father” and should be judged on his own record.
“The conventional wisdom that Congressman Menendez faces an uphill battle as a consequence of the situation surrounding his father is misplaced based on the findings of this research,” Ben Lazarus, of Target Smart, said in a statement.
“This poll shows that Congressman Menendez is a popular incumbent with a strong base of support, and he is the clear frontrunner to win the Democratic nomination in CD-8 come June.”
The freshman House member, despite receiving nearly unanimous support from electeds across the district, which is mostly Hudson County, Elizabeth, and part of Newark, has been deemed vulnerable by some as U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) faces federal corruption charges.
However, four questions (including the one mentioned above) tested the impact on Rep. Menendez and they each showed few voters held him responsible for his fathers actions, where federal prosecutors accuse him of acting as a foreign agent to Egypt and accepting bribes to facilitate a development deal with the Qatar government.
“Congressman Rob Menendez is his own person and should not be punished for the actions of his father Senator Bob Menendez,” 73 percent of respondents agreed, with 72 percent agreeing with the sentiments that the younger Menendez has not been accused of any crimes.
Finally, only 16 percent of respondents believe that the congressman “should be held accountable for the actions of his father.”
Additionally, the poll has his favorability at 33 percent (27 percent unfavorable), with 51 percent of respondents giving Menendez a 51 percent job approval, compared to 25 percent disapproval.
While there is still lots of time ahead of the June 4th Democratic primary, Bhalla has been a game opponent thus far, out raising the incumbent by six figures in the fourth quarter of last year, according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) reports.
He, along with Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, are the only two Hudson County mayors who have called on Senator Menendez to resign.
Makes you wonder the type of people living next door, no?
It’s not about his father’s sins, it’s about his father demanding that the Hudson County Dems anointing him as a congressman.
And the HCDO just going along.
Same with Tammy.
Get rid of this faker.
HC needs a real leader in Congress.
Dump this POS like a turd in toilet.