NEWARK, N.J. (1010 WINS) — Robert Menendez Jr., the son of New Jersey U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, formally entered the race for the state's 8th Congressional District on Thursday — purposefully on the first anniversary of the Capitol Hill riot.
"This is a generation defining moment. How we move forward in a time of insurrection, global pandemic, and economic uncertainty will define the America we leave for our children to inherit and will take all of us working together to succeed," the Democrat said.
He added, "With our future, and our children’s future, at stake, we can no longer sit on the sidelines. That is why I am running for Congress and asking you to join with me in this fight."
Menendez Jr., a 36-year-old attorney, is hoping to succeed Democratic Rep. Albio Sires, who is retiring from the Hudson County district that he has represented since 2006.
"The people of the 8th Congressional District represent the best of who we are, the best we can be, and the blueprint for a more inclusive future," he said. “It’s here where my family, like so many others, planted our American roots. Where we set our foundation."
His 68-year-old father, New Jersey's senior senator and chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, previously served as a congressman in the same seat and has been in the Senate since 2006.
A commissioner on the board of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Menendez Jr., is considered by many the Democratic favorite in the race, garnering support by many state Democrats, including Gov. Phil Murphy.
"Robert is exactly the type of leader we need to fight for working and middle-class New Jersey families. Having grown up in Hudson County, he knows the families and communities he is seeking to represent," Murphy said in a Dec. 23 statement.
Related
Related
