Robert Menendez
Democrat Representative of New Jersey's 8th district
Representative
New Jersey, district 8
January 3, 2023 - January 3, 2025
1
Congresses Served
1
House Terms
July 12, 1985 (39 years old)
Birthday
- American lawyer and politician serving as a U.S. representative since 2023
- Previously a commissioner of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey from 2021 to 2023
- Born and raised in Union City, New Jersey
- Cuban-American heritage, with grandparents who fled from Cuba in 1953
- Attended Union City public schools, The Hudson School for high school, and served on its board of trustees
- Holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Earned a Juris Doctor from Rutgers Law School, where he was president of the Student Bar Association and involved in the Rutgers Race and the Law Review
- Worked as a lawyer with Lowenstein Sandler LLP
- Chaired the Governance and Ethics Committee and was a member of the Finance Committee at the Port Authority
- Announced candidacy for New Jersey’s 8th congressional district following the retirement of Albio Sires, who endorsed him
- Campaign focused on working- and middle-class families, infrastructure investments, gun control, reproductive choice, and support for organized labor
- Raised and contributed $100,000 to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee during his campaign
- Elected as freshman representative on the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee for 2023 and serves as a Regional Whip
- Member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and various other caucuses including the House Pro-Choice Caucus, Congressional Equality Caucus, and Congressional Labor Caucus
- Initially voted against the expulsion of George Santos, citing the ongoing ethics investigation, but later voted “yes” after the investigation’s findings were released
- Serves on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Committee on Homeland Security
- Resides in Jersey City, New Jersey, married to Alex Banfich Menendez since 2017, and has two children