Rep. Rob Menendez Wins Re-Election; Ravi Bhalla Concedes. But How'd It Happen?

NORTH JERSEY, NJ — Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla conceded the 8th District Democratic primary race for Congress to Rep. Rob Menendez late on Tuesday night.

"While tonight wasn’t the outcome we desired," Bhalla said in a statement, "I’m tremendously proud of the campaign we ran. Democracy won, and the people of our District — for the first time in years — had a true choice at the ballot box." (His full statement is below.)

Menendez won re-election to his seat after a heated race in which he had to fend off frequent attacks from Bhalla and others tying him to his indicted father, Sen. Bob Menendez. READ MORE: Bhalla Fires 'Gold Bar Bob' Barb At Menendez Jr.

The Associated Press projected around 9:27 p.m. Tuesday that Menendez would win, with many votes still uncounted. Menendez will face off against the unopposed winner of the Republican primary, Anthony Valdes, in November.

But How'd That Happen?

New Jersey’s 8th Congressional District includes most of Hudson County (including Hoboken and Jersey City), Elizabeth in Union County, and Newark's north and east wards.

Political observers noted that the Hudson County machine helped get out the vote for the incumbent this week — particularly well-oiled organizations in North Hudson towns— but Bhalla also had the backing of powerful officials, not to mention more than $2 million in donations.

Menendez suffered from the association with his father. But at the same time, Bhalla faced a rising tide of vocal detractors in his hometown who had once supported him, but spoke out against his actions in office, including the previous mayor. READ MORE: 'Don't Contact Me Anymore,' Hoboken Mayor Bhalla Told Former Mayor Zimmer

Bhalla reminded voters about his opponent's father 'til the very end.

"I assure you, my father (pictured here with my brother and me) is gold-bar free," he wrote in a Tweet around 5 p.m. on Election Day.

Out-of-town political observers focused mainly on Menendez's connection to his father when analyzing the race, and were seemingly caught off guard Tuesday by the results. But Menendez was able to run ads attacking Bhalla's record as he defended his own during his two years in office.

Some local Democrats said that while they didn't support Rob Menendez's father, they liked the younger Menendez's record of constituent services.

[See Voter Reactions And Updated Numbers From Wednesday, June 5 Here.]

Other Wrinkles

Other wrinkles that impacted the race:

• Kyle Jasey, a father and Jersey City businessman, was the third candidate for the Democratic nomination. Bhalla and others had fought the "county line" system of putting machine candidates on the top of the ballot, and Jasey ended up getting the advantageous top spot, rather than either political official. He amassed more than 1,500 votes in Hudson County. READ MORE: Bhalla Fought The Line And Jasey Won?
• Days before the election, Rep. Andy Kim, whom Bhalla supported and who's running for Bob Menendez's seat, made it clear in a Tweet that he was not endorsing any of the congressional candidates.
• There were some on social media who actually thought Rob Menendez Jr.'s father was the one running, and posted that they didn't understand why New Jersey voters could support him.

The general election will be held on Nov. 4, 2024.

Concession From Bhalla

Bhalla said Tuesday night:

While tonight wasn’t the outcome we desired, I’m tremendously proud of the campaign we ran. Democracy won, and the people of our District - for the first time in years - had a true choice at the ballot box.

Taking on the status quo, party bosses, the county line and politics as usual is never easy, but great change does not happen when we stay on the sidelines and give in to cynicism or lose hope. It’s my belief that this campaign is part of a larger movement for a more democratic New Jersey, where so many more of us run for office.

I had the opportunity to congratulate Congressman Menendez earlier on a hard fought victory. I look forward to working with him to improve the quality of life for the residents of Hoboken and the Eighth District.

I especially want to thank my family and the residents of Hoboken, Jersey City, and the voters of the Eighth Congressional District for their tremendous support. Your confidence in your community - and me - showed so many of us what’s possible when we enter the arena and participate.

Serving as Mayor of Hoboken has been, and continues to be, the honor of my lifetime. I look forward to continuing to serve the residents of our great city.

Unofficial Election Results

Here are the unofficial numbers on the machine as of 10 p.m. Tuesday. Patch will update the numbers in coming days. Note that voters completed mail-in ballots up until 8 p.m. Tuesday, so the final results may not be known for weeks.

Democrats

• Rep. Rob Menendez Jr.: 9,171
• Ravi Bhalla: 6,479
• Kyle Jasey: 1,596
• Write-In: 84

Republicans

• Anthony Valdes (unopposed in primary): 1,525
• Write-In: 56

You can read their bios and websites here:

• Rep. Rob Menendez Jr.
• Mayor Ravi Bhalla
• Kyle Jasey

Updates

Come back to Patch, which will continue updating vote results.

See the full list of local races here.

Further reading: Bhalla Fought The Line And Jasey Won?