NJ-08: Another primary challenge against Rob Menendez may be brewing
The emerging progressive coalition in Hudson County that won two Assembly races this year and that’s favored to soon secure the Jersey City mayor’s office may have an even bigger target in next year’s Democratic primaries: Rep. Rob Menendez (D-Jersey City).
Menendez, a two-term congressman, already survived a serious primary challenge last year against Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla, leveraging his support from the 8th congressional district’s large Hispanic population and from the Hudson County Democratic Organization (HCDO) to keep his seat. It was the first major political test of Menendez’s career, and he won handily.
But the Hudson County progressive bloc that strongly supported Bhalla has since been emboldened by its wins this year and by the death of the county line, the ballot design system that once propped up incumbents and other party-backed candidates. In light of those wins, Menendez may end up facing a contested primary once again.
One potential challenger is Mussab Ali, a former Jersey City board of education president who came in fourth place in this month’s Jersey City mayoral race. Ali, a 28-year-old cancer survivor who would be New Jersey’s first Muslim member of Congress, is considering a campaign for the district, the New Jersey Globe has learned.
https://newjerseyglobe.com/congress/another-primary-challenge-against-rob-menendez-may-be-brewing/