Voters will get to select the successor to retiring U.S. Rep. Albio Sires in New Jersey’s 8th Congressional District in the fall. Already, local and state Democratic Party leaders have lined up behind Robert Menendez Jr., the son of Sen. Bob Menendez. That has raised red flags for activists, who say flaws in the way candidates are selected has turned this election into a coronation.
“For someone to come outside of the system, you’re gonna now run up against the governor, the senators, every local machine that is going to line up, so you’re at a tremendous organizational, financial, legitimacy standpoint disadvantage because now this heir apparent has inherited the line, which means that he has walked into Election Day with 35% of the vote,” said Hector Oseguera, who tried unsuccessfully to unseat Sires in the Democratic primary in 2020.
