Super PAC spending is coloring the 11th hour of the 8th District congressional race, where U.S. Rep. Rob Menendez and Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla will easily combine to spend over $4 million, with independent expenditures factored in.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
Protect Progress, a cryptocurrency special interest PAC, spent a total of $215,063 on Wednesday and Friday for media production/ad buy to support Menendez, which includes at least one Spanish language video.
Bhalla, who took aim at his opponent over a quarter million dollar ad buy in 2022 from a super PAC run by Samuel Bankman-Fried, who received a 25-year sentence for fraud in April, expectedly had something to say about this.
“Rob Menendez Jr’s campaign is being fueled by a Who’s Who of the worst special interests, including the Crypto Cash Kings and Big Pharma. It’s time for new independent leadership that puts the people first—not special interests or party bosses,” he said in a statement.
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) Bold PAC spent $485,899.83 on direct mail and TV ads for the congressman, while another Washington, D.C.-based PAC between late April and Early May, while Bold America, has spent $70,000 for the same pro-Menendez expenditures between mid- and late May, Federal Election Commission (FEC) reports show.
On the other hand, Bhalla has received some help from another super PAC, America’s Promise, has spent $389,086.25 on ads attacking Menendez, which includes spending $110,901.25 between May 28th and June 1st, according to FEC filings.
All of their ads have linked Rep. Menendez to his father, U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ), who is on trial in federal court in Manhattan for a litany of corruption charges and is expected to file for re-election as an independent later today, per The New Jersey Globe.
Over the weekend, at least one attack ad against Bhalla that went up on YouTube says he is “too corrupt for Congress,” briefly citing quid pro quo allegations made by former Health and Human Services Director Leo Pellegrini in a superior court lawsuit filed last month.
Both points of attack have been consistent for each candidate in recent memory, which each were happy to elaborate on at Tuesday’s lively debate that was moderated by this reporter at Hudson Media Group.
The super PAC spending comes on top of the $1,637,260.09 spent by Bhalla, as well as the $1,363,188.47 coming from Menendez’s campaign war chest, according to their 12-day pre-election FEC reports that covers expenditures through May 15th.
The primary, is tomorrow June 4th, where Menendez also defends his seat against first time candidate Kyle Jasey. The polls are open from 6 a.m. until 8 p.m. and voting locations can be found here.
