Menendez was born inEnglewood, New Jersey,[5] and raised inUnion City, New Jersey.[6] He is the son ofRobert Menendez, a former Senator from New Jersey serving eleven years in prison after being convicted of numerous crimes while in office, and Jane Jacobsen, a public school teacher, school nurse, and guidance counselor.[7] He isCuban-American through his father. His paternal grandparents came to the United States in 1953, fleeing the regime ofFulgencio Batista.[8] Menendez's mother, as described by his sister Alicia, is ofGerman,Norwegian, andIrish ancestry.[9]
On April 15, 2021, Menendez was nominated to be a commissioner of thePort Authority of New York and New Jersey byGovernorPhil Murphy.[15] He was unanimously confirmed by theNew Jersey State Senate on June 3, 2021,[16] and sworn in on June 4.[17] He was the first Latino from New Jersey and the first millennial to serve as a Port Authority Commissioner.[18] While serving on the board, Menendez chaired the Governance and Ethics Committee and was a member of the Finance Committee, which oversees the Port Authority’s multi-billion-dollar annual budget.[19] He resigned as commissioner on January 2, 2023, the day before he joined Congress.[20]
Menendez campaigned on addressing the needs of working- and middle-class families and the challenges associated with the rising costs of basic necessities such as housing, healthcare, education and family care. He spoke often about infrastructure investments, gun control, and reproductive choice.[28] Menendez's campaign expressed support for organized labor and workers rights. He was endorsed by numerous labor unions during his campaign.[29][30][31]
While running in his own race, Menendez raised and contributed $100,000 to theDemocratic Congressional Campaign Committee, with the funds directed to Democratic incumbents and challengers running in battleground districts.[32]
In the primary election, Menendez defeated two challengers, David Ocampo Grajales and Ane Roseborough-Eberhard, with 83.6% of the vote to Grajales's 11.3% and Roseborough-Eberhard's 5.1%.[33] In the general election, Menendez defeated Republican nominee Marcos Arroyo, 73.6% to 23.4%.[34]
Menendez won the Democratic primary with 52.0% of the vote against challengersRavinder Bhalla, who won 37.5% of the vote, and Kyle Jasey, who won 10.5% of the vote.[35] He defeated Republican nominee Anthony Valdes in the general election, 59.2% to 34.6%.[36]
As a representative-elect, Menendez was elected by members of the Democratic freshman class to serve as the freshman representative on theDemocratic Steering and Policy Committee for 2023.[37] He was appointed to serve as a Regional Whip, a post in which he is responsible for assisting theDemocratic Whip operation to track votes.[38] Menendez is a member of theCongressional Hispanic Caucus.[39]
In 2023, Menendez initially voted against the expulsion ofGeorge Santos, a Republican member of the House of Representatives who faced two federal indictments. Menendez cited the lack of a completion of the House Committee on Ethics' investigation as a reason for his position.[40] He later changed his position during the December 1, 2023, vote on the matter, voting "yes" to expel Santos[41] after the findings of the investigation had been unanimously adopted by the Committee and released on November 9.[42] This took place at the same time in which Menendez's father, Bob Menendez, faced pressure to step down amid a federal indictment.[43]
In his second term, Menendez won a seat on the powerfulUnited States House Committee on Energy and Commerce after a competitive election among several Democratic House members.[44] Menendez also earned a leadership position in the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee as vice chair for the northeast. In that role, he helps lead the Democratic effort to retake control of the House in the 2026 campaign cycle.[45] As part of his work with theCongressional Hispanic Caucus, Menendez serves as the vice chair of policy on CHC's leadership team and as finance co-chair for BOLD PAC, CHC's fundraising arm.[46]
On May 9, 2025, Menendez conducted oversight at Delaney Hall, an ICE immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, alongside two Democratic representatives from New Jersey, LaMonica McIver and Bonnie Watson Coleman, and the mayor of Newark, Ras Baraka.[47] Federal law provides members of Congress the right to conduct oversight visits such as that in theNewark immigration detention center incident.[48] Menendez released a statement that day alleging that "ICE attempted to intimidate everyone involved and impede our ability to conduct oversight."[49] McIver was charged in the aftermath of the oversight visit with assault, and her court case is still proceeding.[50]
