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