MENENDEZ, ROBERT
D · house · currently seated · bioguide M001226
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- FEC candidate id
H2NJ08232- Internal id
5efbc4cf-33b0-4901-9748-1f53d8aef669- Status
- incumbent
Who this candidate represents
Who lives here — American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024), NJ-08. Source.
| Category | Metric | Value |
|---|---|---|
| People | Population | 763,596 |
| People | Median age | 36 |
| Income | Median household income | $84,356 |
| Income | Per-capita income | $51,352 |
| Income | In poverty | 15.6% |
| Income | Unemployed | 6.5% |
| Income | Gini inequality index | 0.513 |
| Race | White alone | 30.9% |
| Race | Black alone | 9.1% |
| Race | Asian alone | 11.6% |
| Race | Hispanic or Latino | 51.2% |
| Race | Two or more races | 21.8% |
| Origin | Foreign-born | 46.0% |
| Language | Speaks English only at home | 35.5% |
| Language | Speaks Spanish at home | 44.0% |
| Education | High school or higher | 66.7% |
| Education | Bachelor's or higher | 41.4% |
| Education | Advanced degree | 17.3% |
| Household | Family households | 59.9% |
| Household | Avg household size | 2.45 |
| Household | Never married (15+) | 43.3% |
| Housing | Median home value | $519,200 |
| Housing | Median gross rent | $1,808 |
| Housing | Single-family detached | 8.8% |
| Housing | Built before 1940 | 7.3% |
| Housing | Overcrowded (>1 per room) | 8.3% |
| Housing | Vacant units | 6.4% |
| Service | Veterans (18+) | 1.6% |
| Health | With a disability | 10.3% |
| Connectivity | Households with broadband | 90.6% |
| Connectivity | Households with no internet | 7.4% |
| Commute | Drove alone | 36.4% |
| Commute | Public transit | 27.0% |
| Commute | Worked from home | 17.7% |
Cycle financials
Source: FEC weball bulk file (cycle summary). Numbers in USD; 0 = no activity reported.
| Cycle | Raised | Spent | Cash on hand | Debts | Indiv. contribs. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $1,423,421 | $675,792 | $1,024,315 | $0 | $864,307 |
| 2024 | $2,384,983 | $2,463,493 | $276,686 | $0 | $1,558,694 |
| 2022 | $1,752,969 | $1,397,774 | $355,195 | $0 | $1,351,234 |
Elections
Committees
- MENENDEZ FOR CONGRESS — principal · type H
Recent votes
- 2026-05-15 · Cong. 119 · house roll 175
YEA on HR 8469 — Making appropriations for military construction, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2027, and for other purposes. - 2026-05-15 · Cong. 119 · house roll 174
NAY on HR 8469 — Making appropriations for military construction, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2027, and for other purposes. - 2026-05-14 · Cong. 119 · house roll 173
NAY on HR 8365 — Monitor Accountability Act - 2026-05-14 · Cong. 119 · house roll 172
YEA on HR 8365 — Monitor Accountability Act - 2026-05-14 · Cong. 119 · house roll 171
NAY on HR 5625 — Cashless Bail Reporting Act - 2026-05-14 · Cong. 119 · house roll 170
YEA on HCONRES 75 — Directing the President, pursuant to section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution, to remove the United States Armed Forces from hostilities against the Islamic Republic of Iran. - 2026-05-14 · Cong. 119 · house roll 169
NAY on HR 6260 — Keeping Violent Offenders Off Our Streets Act of 2025 - 2026-05-14 · Cong. 119 · house roll 168
YEA on HR 6260 — Keeping Violent Offenders Off Our Streets Act of 2025 - 2026-05-13 · Cong. 119 · house roll 167
YEA on HRES 1259 — Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the President should prioritize securing the release of Pastor Jin Mingri, Pastor Gao Quanfu and his wife Pang Yu, Dr. Gulshan Abbas, and Jimmy Lai detained by the People's Republic of China during future engagements with Chinese President Xi Jinping. - 2026-05-13 · Cong. 119 · house roll 166
YEA on HRES 1251 — Calling on elected officials and civil society leaders to counter antisemitism and educate the public on the contributions of the Jewish-American community.
Sponsored & cosponsored bills
- sponsor · 2026-04-30 — HR 8620 — CARES Hotline Act
- cosponsor · 2026-03-24 — HR 7335 — Humanitarian Standards for Individuals in ICE and CBP Custody Act
- sponsor · 2026-03-16 — HR 7943 — Communications Equity and Diversity Council Act
- sponsor · 2026-03-04 — HR 7797 — Toll Evasion Prevention and Plate Visibility Act of 2026
- cosponsor · 2026-02-20 — HR 6389 — Upholding Protections for Unaccompanied Children Act of 2025
- cosponsor · 2026-02-20 — HR 4606 — Ally’s Act
- cosponsor · 2026-02-11 — HR 630 — Neighbors Not Enemies Act
- sponsor · 2026-01-30 — HR 7294 — AI for Secure Networks Act
- sponsor · 2026-01-27 — HR 7263 — Safe Intersections for Buses and Pedestrians Act
- sponsor · 2026-01-08 — HR 6984 — Data Center Transparency Act
Election prediction
Cycle 2026 · model baseline-v1 · base rate 15.1%
P(win) = 99.0%
| Feature | Δ P(win) |
|---|---|
| Base rate (historical) | 15.1% |
| incumbent | +78.0% |
| D (major party) | +10.0% |
Baseline model (incumbency × party × office). Calibration: backtest Brier score is the reference, see npm run db:ingest -- --source=predict-backtest-election. Future model versions must beat baseline Brier on the same held-out cohort or they don't ship.
Independent expenditures
Money spent by super PACs and other non-connected committees for or against this candidate. Source: FEC Schedule E (independent_expenditure CSV bulk).
| Cycle | Support | Oppose | IEs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $75,655 | $0 | 4 |
| 2024 | $871,173 | $458,086 | 27 |
| 2022 | $265,126 | $0 | 5 |
Recent (latest 25)
| Date | Spender | For / against | Amount | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | BOLD AMERICA | support | $24,095 | Mail Ad Production, Printing, and Postage (Estimate) |
| — | NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS POLITICAL ACTI… | support | $6,126 | Online digital ad buy & production costs |
| — | NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS POLITICAL ACTI… | support | $1,800 | Administrative consulting |
| — | NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS POLITICAL ACTI… | support | $7,200 | Online digital ad buy & production costs |
| — | NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS POLITICAL ACTI… | support | $7,200 | Digital Ad buys, Meta & GIFs |
| — | NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS POLITICAL ACTI… | support | $3,460 | Digital Ad buys, Meta & GIFs |
| — | NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS POLITICAL ACTI… | support | $600 | Administrative Consulting |
| — | NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS POLITICAL ACTI… | support | $41,270 | Online video production costs |
| — | NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS POLITICAL ACTI… | support | $12,984 | Online digital ad buy & production costs |
| — | NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS POLITICAL ACTI… | support | $7,200 | Online digital ad buy & creative design costs |
| — | NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS POLITICAL ACTI… | support | $960 | Administrative Consulting |
| — | CHC BOLD PAC | support | $16,000 | TV and Digital Ad Production - Estimate |
| — | BOLD AMERICA | support | $20,000 | Digital Ad Buy and Production (Estimate) |
| — | BOLD AMERICA | support | $12,952 | Mail Ad Production, Printing, and Postage (Estimate) |
| — | BOLD AMERICA | support | $12,952 | Mail Ad Production, Printing, and Postage (Estimate) |
| 2026-05-12 | PROTECT PROGRESS | support | $64,395 | IE-Menendez-Direct Mail Production, Printing, Postage |
| 2024-06-03 | THE TURNOUT PROJECT | support | $279 | Canvass Materials - Printed Flyers |
| 2024-05-31 | AMERICA'S PROMISE | oppose | $20,000 | Digital Ad Buy |
| 2024-05-31 | PROTECT PROGRESS | support | $8,500 | IE-Menendez-Media Production |
| 2024-05-31 | THE TURNOUT PROJECT | support | $2,443 | Direct Mail Flyer |
| 2024-05-29 | PROTECT PROGRESS | support | $206,563 | E-Menendez-Media Buy |
| 2024-05-28 | AMERICA'S PROMISE | oppose | $55,600 | Direct Mail |
| 2024-05-28 | THE IMPACT FUND | oppose | $50,000 | Advertising & Media Production |
| 2024-05-28 | YOUTH SAVE DEMOCRACY PAC | oppose | $26,000 | Mail Production and Postage |
| 2024-05-25 | THE TURNOUT PROJECT | support | $3,523 | Printed Canvass Materials - Door Hangers |
Transfers from committees
Direct contributions from PACs and party committees. Source: FEC pas2 bulk (committee-to-candidate transactions).
Top individual donors (2026 cycle)
Via this candidate's principal committee MENENDEZ FOR CONGRESS.
Aggregated from FEC Schedule A by donor (name + city + state). Employer + occupation reflect the donor's most recent gift. Source: FEC indiv bulk.
| Donor | Employer / occupation | City, ST | Gifts | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| STENSON, DANIEL | APOLLO GLOBAL MANAGEMENT · PARTNER | NEW YORK, NY | 1 | $2,500 |
| ARGUELLO, ROBERTO J | CEO ADVISORS · CONSULTANT | COCONUT GROVE, FL | 1 | $1,000 |