Robert Menendez
DemocratU.S. Representative, NJ-8| Age | 40 (b. 1985-07-12) |
| Gender | Male |
| In office since | 2023-01-03 (~3 yrs) |
| Race / ethnicity | Hispanic/Latino (Cuban-American paternal heritage; German, Norwegian, and Irish maternal heritage) |
| Religion | Catholic |
| Education | B.A. in Political Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2008); J.D., Rutgers Law School (2011); served as president of Student Bar Association at Rutgers |
| Prior occupation | Attorney at Lowenstein Sandler LLP (finance and technology sectors); Commissioner, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (2021-2023); Hudson County Commissioner (2019-2021) |
| Military service | No |
| Birthplace | Englewood, New Jersey |
| Marital status | Married — Alex Banfich |
| Children | 2 |
| Residence | Lafayette neighborhood, Jersey City, New Jersey |
| Notable relatives | Father: Bob Menendez, former U.S. Senator for New Jersey (convicted of bribery, 2024); Sister: Alicia Menendez, MSNBC anchor/journalist |
Pending research: languages · openly lgbtq.
Career & politics
| First elected | 2022 |
| Previous offices | Hudson County Commissioner (2019-2021) · Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Commissioner (2021-2023) |
| Committees | House Committee on Energy and Commerce (119th Congress; subcommittees: Communications and Technology, Energy, Environment) |
| Caucuses | Congressional Hispanic Caucus (Vice Chair of Policy) · Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC, associate member) · Congressional Equality Caucus · House Pro-Choice Caucus · Congressional Labor Caucus · Dads' Caucus · Gun Violence Prevention Task Force · House Bipartisan Task Force for Combatting Antisemitism |
| Leadership | Regional Whip, House Democratic Caucus · Freshman Representative, Democratic Steering and Policy Committee (118th Congress) |
| Ideology | Mainstream progressive Democrat; received 100% rating from League of Conservation Voters (2023). No DW-NOMINATE score publicly available from standard sources for his short tenure. |
| Signature legislation | Communications Security Act (H.R. 1717, 119th Congress) — passed House 380-33, July 2025; co-sponsored with Rep. John Joyce (R-PA) · PRICE Act (Preventing Rate Inflation in Consumer Energy) — introduced with Rep. Greg Casar · Data Center Transparency Act — introduced with Rep. Greg Casar |
Financial
Net worth: disclosed $470,008–$1,113,999 (2023) · estimate
| Chase Bank | other · $0–$100,000 · 2023 |
| Artsy 401(k) - Vanguard Target Retirement 2055 Fund | fund · $0–$100,000 · 2023 |
| Lowenstein Sandler 401(k) - Vanguard Target Retirement 2050 Fund | fund · $0–$100,000 · 2023 |
| Voya Financial/Morning Consult 401(k) - Voya Index Solution 2055 | fund · $0–$50,000 · 2023 |
| Charles Schwab Brokerage - Schwab Fundamental U.S. Large Company ETF | fund · $0–$50,000 · 2023 |
Top donors: American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) ($235,430) · Protect Our Future (Sam Bankman-Fried super PAC) ($250,000) · Protect Progress (crypto-focused dark money) ($215,000)
Top industries: Pro-Israel/AIPAC aligned PACs · Cryptocurrency industry outside spending · Large individual contributions (64-76% of receipts)
Scandals & crimes ledger
No recorded incidents. Under the adjudicated-only methodology, an entry appears only when a court or official body has formally acted and the record is cited.