2024 NJ-08 Democratic Primary

The Competitiveness of this election was primarily due to the same fact that made Rob Menendez a congressman in the first place: the connection to his father Bob Menendez. 

Here, Senator Menendez's trial for Bribary and being a foreign agent became Mayor Bhalla's chief attack against the Son—whom was not accused of any wrongdoing nor entangled in the probe

Bhalla himself—the Mayor of Hoboken gentrifying town full of YUPPIES—sought to capture the Progressive/anti-establishment lane soon after all of the District's Machine officials promptly lined up behind Rob Menendez in his reelection not long after the Senator's indictment

Using the aforementioned attacks, in addition to running on his record as a Transit oriented Mayor in Hoboken Bhalla sought to use the newfound Menendez Political weakness to win over the house seat from Rob.

But Rob Menendez, understanding the perilous situation he was in and unprecedent challenge posed by Mayor Bhalla, didn't sleep in this election tapping into his allies to nearly Match Bhalla's spending (Bhalla spent $1.6 million and Menendez $1.3 million

Most of this money from Menendez was spent attacking Bhalla over Ethics issues he had as an attorney, likening him to the Fictional character Saul Goodman and parodying the name of his Breaking Bad spinoff Better Call Saul: “Better Not Call Ravi.”

Menendez also ran on his record as a congressman, which as the Jersey Journal highlighted in their Endorsement of Bhalla Menendez did "as well as he could" https://newjerseyglobe.com/congress/menendez-defeats-bhalla-after-brutal-campaign/#:~:text=Rep.%20Rob%20Menendez%20 

It should be noted that, were it not for the New Jersey Democratic Ballot Line being struck Down and reinstituted with Block Ballots, that Menendez would have won with a larger margin than he dis

with the line being struck down making it so that some observers began to think Bhalla had a chance to win.