Our Bureau
New Jersey, NJ
On May 7, the New Jersey community rallied around Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla in a spirited fundraiser as he strives for a seat in Congress representing the eighth district of NJ. Addressing the attendees, Bhalla emphasized the importance of fair elections, stating, “Our elections in the 8th district are coronations instead of elections. I am running to give voters a chance to vote for a qualified candidate with a track record of accomplishment. I wasn’t born on third base with a powerful last name. Like the hardworking people of the 8th district, I earned everything I have achieved.”
Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla raised $649,077 in the 1st quarter of 2024. This was a huge total for a candidate challenging a sitting member of the House – Rep. Rob Menendez. A recent super PAC-commissioned poll found Bhalla with a five-point lead over Menendez, a freshman congressman seeking a second term against the headwinds of his father’s federal indictment.
Born and raised in New Jersey, Bhalla served eight years on the Hoboken City Council before becoming Mayor in November 2017, and numbers show that his message of inclusivity and hard work is resonating with voters.
Bhalla graduated in political psychology from the University of California, Berkeley. He did an M.Sc. in public administration from the London School of Economics, and a J.D. from Tulane Law School.
It is believed that Bhalla’s well-funded campaign could break through and bring about the first primary loss for a New Jersey member of Congress in decades. 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.
