Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla’s Democratic primary campaign against Rep. Rob Menendez (D-Jersey City) continued to rack up money in the 1st quarter of 2024, raising $649,077 – a huge total for a candidate challenging a sitting member of the House.
Bhalla had raised nearly $1 M during his first month in the race last year, bringing his total raised to just over $1.6 million. Thanks to a relatively high burn rate, he ended the 1st quarter with $991,198 on hand.
Menendez, for his part, had a slightly higher Q1 total, Raising $677,775. He reported having a war chest of just under $1.2 million as of the end of the quarter.
A third Democratic candidate, Kyle Jasey, remained far behind the two leading contenders, raising just $4,648. He’s unlikely to be much of a factor in the race, save for potentially serving as a spoiler at Bhalla’s expense.
If elected, Bhalla would be the first-ever turbaned Sikh to serve in Congress, and the second Asian American to represent New Jersey in Washington. Not coincidentally, many of the donors fueling his campaign appear to come from the country’s Sikh and Indian American communities – a nationwide network that has paid big dividends for Bhalla.
