State Senator-elects Angela McKnight (D-31) and Raj Mukherji (D-32) are endorsing U.S. Rep. Rob Menendez (D-8) for re-election ahead of a contested primary on June 4th, 2024.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“The constituents that Rob and I share in Jersey City, Bayonne, and Kearny have all benefited from his unwavering efforts on their behalf in Washington and in our communities,” McKnight said in a statement.
“No matter the issue, Rob has always answered the call and worked for the betterment of our residents. Through his partnership and dedication, Rob has earned my support in 2024.”
Menendez announced his would be seeking a second term in late September, hours after Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla indicated he was “seriously considering” running for the House seat in the 8th District. He made his candidacy official last week.
“A lawmaker’s top priority should be constituent services. Since his swearing-in, Rob has been a relentless advocate for our shared constituents in Jersey City and Hoboken,” added Mukherji.
“I have been especially impressed with his quick and effective response to federal cases I’ve referred to his office. I am energized by his track record of following up consistently and by his attention to vital quality of life issues impacting our community, traffic safety, flood resiliency and sustainability, infrastructure, safeguarding reproductive rights, building upon the ACA to enact a national public option for healthcare, and housing.”
Mukherji is the first elected official who represents Hoboken to back Menendez, who now has the public support of the Hudson County Democratic Organization, all three state senators, including Brian Stack (D-33), 10 of 12 local mayors, and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka.
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.
In a lengthy social media post and email blast, Fulop said that in light of Senator Menendez’s federal corruption charges, which includes acting as a foreign agent to Egypt, the Democratic party should move on from Rob Menendez.
“It’s not a secret that Rob got to Congress only because of his dad’s influence, so it’s fair to move on from Rob now because of that same influence,” he wrote before a short but intense social media spat between him and Rob Menendez began.
Fulop told HCV today that he thought Bhalla’s announcement was “impressive,” but continued that was going to hold off on seriously considering backing a candidate until closer to the filing deadline in April.
For the time being, Kyle Jasey, the son of outgoing Assemblywoman Mila Jasey (D-27), is the only other declared challenger to Rob Menendez.
The go-along get-along gang goes along and gets along. And what’s touted as a progressive stronghold will send the corporate nepo baby back to Congress to pick up his ethically challenged old man’s seat in 4-6 years.
Could this be the end of Bhallatics as we know it?
Methinks not! Just look at Ravi’s record of real delivery for Hoboken:
-He’s a minority who was picked on as a child. Poor man deserves a job.
-He has created at least 37 pretty pictures of parks inclusive of 82 public charrettes, pointless public surveys with leading questions and untrustworthy results, and meaningless design alternatives. These pictures included minorities sharing an ice cream cone, gay couples pointing randomly to the horizon, and even an androgynous dog playing in a dog park also never to be delivered.
-He was only censured once by the State of NJ – and never disbarred. You beauty!
-He made 14 appearances on the Clinton News Network and MSDNC talking about the horrendous racism in Hoboken and his Nixle track record of daily COVID death count emails.
-He visited Washington DC seven times, met Pete Buttigieg on five of those taxpayer funded trips, kissing his ring on four of those occasions (the lads were interrupted on the last occasion). Vision Zero, like Bidenomics, is working.
-He still identifies as brown and wears a turban. Incredible.
-He didn’t allow NY Waterway to build a ferry maintenance and diesel refueling facility on Union Dry Dock yet. And when they do this Spring, he will be long gone and they will be paying almost $5,000 per month! The City can use those funds to hire another social worker to read kids books about transgender things!
-He delivered countless speeches about the need for a new Municipal Castle with a new police and fire headquarters and separate locker rooms for women which are absolutely needed for them, but not for your daughter because of human rights and such. Back of the net!
-The new Hilton Hotel and YMCA were promised with several speeches and the unions even came with big signs!
-Speaking of signs, Ravi took a knee for the BLM march. Wow!
-Recently, he took a trip to Dubai to talk about climate change and how the city will defend against it with smoke and a couple giant mirrors.
-He has sued and/or dragged the City into at least 39 lawsuits including one against Big Oil (who needs that stuff?!), his own constituents, and developers. Granted, he has lost every single one, but he has managed to use your taxpayer funds to bleed his political opponents. #thankful
-Zero traffic deaths since he was born! And we all know how insane the traffic deaths were in Hoboken before Ravi.
He is great! Also, he is brown so obviously he is both fair and qualified for the job.
Thank you foe coming to my TEDb talk.
Didn’t Bhallas council majority support Mukherji’s cannabis project? Unless there is a backstory to the backstory, this reads like another diss. Interesting how anyone who knows him at all is looking the other way.