Heated feuding erupted this week between Democratic powerhouses of Hudson County, with possible repercussions across several big New Jersey races.
Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop fired the first salvo, posting on X.com (formerly Twitter): “I’m not on board with supporting Rob Menendez for another term in Congress. It’s time to move on.”
U.S. Rep. Rob Menendez represents New Jersey’s 8th District, Hudson County’s Democratic stronghold. He’s also the son of indicted U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), who faces federal charges of wielding his political influence in return for piles of cash and gold bars.
In an interview with NJ Spotlight News, Fulop claimed Rob Menendez should denounce his own father — or forfeit his seat.
“The Menendezes have shown that they feel entitled to the seats and they put the Menendezes first,” Fulop said. “And that’s ultimately what the problem is.”
Rob Menendez has been mostly silent about his father’s indictment. The senior senator has furiously denied the federal charges and has refused to resign, despite calls to step down from colleagues, including Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. John Fetterman.
Fetterman joined the fight and hired newly expelled U.S. Rep. George Santos for $250 to record this snarky Cameo message to the New Jersey senator: “Hey, Bobby. I don’t need to tell you, but these people that make you want to get in trouble and want to kick you out and make you run away — you make ’em put up or shut up.”
Rob Menendez this week lobbed this statement back at Fulop, who’s running for governor in 2025:
“…[Fulop] showed his true colors yesterday for everyone to see. Instead of addressing his policy failures and the impact they have had on Jersey City residents, Steve chose to go low. For those of us who have dealt with Steve, it’s nothing new. For those across the state who he is looking to introduce himself to, you can expect more of this petulant behavior.”
Rider University’s Micah Rasmussen told NJ Spotlight News: “This is not a battle that [Rep. Menendez] needs right now. He needs to keep his head down, he needs to do the work of serving his constituents. He needs to try to keep some distance between himself and his father’s problems, which is clearly not what Mayor Fulop wants to let him do.”
Rasmussen says there’s no denying the bad blood between Bob Menendez and Fulop, who challenged the senator in a 2004 election and lost. And he expected the head-butting will continue. As for the Menendez family politics, the Senator’s trial is scheduled to start May 6. He hasn’t said whether he’ll seek reelection, but his son will certainly be on the New Jersey primary ballot on June 4.
