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Robert MenendezDEMDemocrat United States Senator
70
Years of Age
18
Years of Experience
NJResidence (state)

Robert Menendez (born January 1, 1954) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from New Jersey, a seat he has held since 2006. A member of the Democratic Party, he was first appointed to the U.S. Senate by Governor Jon Corzine, and chaired the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations from 2013 to 2015, and again from 2021 to 2023. In 1974, at the age of 20, Menendez was elected to the Union City School District's Board of Education. He received degrees from Saint Peter's University and Rutgers Law School. In 1986, he was elected mayor of Union City. In 1988, while continuing to serve as mayor, he was elected to represent the state's 33rd district in the New Jersey General Assembly and, within three years, moved to the New Jersey Senate, upon winning the March 1991 special election for the 33rd Senate district. The next year, Menendez won a seat in the House of Representatives and represented New Jersey's 13th congressional district for six two-year terms, from 1993 to 2006. In January 2006, he was appointed to fill the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Jon Corzine (who had been elected governor of New Jersey) and was elected to a full six-year term in November; he was reelected in 2012 and 2018. In 2015, Menendez was indicted on federal corruption charges; the jury was unable to reach a verdict, and the charges were dropped in 2018. In April 2018, the United States Senate Select Committee on Ethics "severely admonished" Menendez for accepting gifts from donor Salomon Melgen without obtaining committee approval, for failing to disclose certain gifts, and for using his position as a senator to advance Melgen's interests.

Voterly's Issue Scores  (1 - 30 of 30)

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0 / 30
Education7 - 7 of 5
Union Hill High School
1972
Rutgers Law School
Saint Peter's University
Bachelor of Arts
1976
Rutgers University
Rutgers School of Law–Newark
Juris Doctor
1979
Past Positions1 - 8 of 8
United States representative
United States of America
1993 - 2006
Member of the New Jersey General Assembly
United States of America
1987 - 1991
United States senator
United States of America
2006
Mayor of Union City, New Jersey
United States of America
1986 - 1992
Democratic Caucus Chairman of the United States House of Representatives
United States of America
2003 - 2006
Democratic Caucus Vice Chairman of the United States House of Representatives
United States of America
1999 - 2003
chief financial officer
1978 - 1982
member of a board of education
1974 - 1978
Other Experience1 - 53 of 53
Chief Financial Officer
Union City Board of Education
1978 - 1982
Member
Union City Board of Education
1974 - 1978
Co-Founder
Alliance Civic Association
Former Chair
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
Former Chair
New Jersey Hispanic Leadership Program
Former Member
New Jersey Hispanic Elected Officials Organization
Former Member
Impact Aid Coalition
Former Member
New Jersey Mayors Coalition
Former President
Alliance Civic Association
Chairman
Senate Foreign Relations Committee
2013
Former Member
Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy & Water Development, United States Senate
Former Member
New Jersey State Employment and Training Commission
Former Vice-Chair
Democratic Caucus
Former Chair
House Democratic Caucus
Former Chair
House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee
Former Co-Chair
Senate Hispanic Task Force
Former Member
Congressional Arts Caucus
Former Member
Congressional Biotechnology Caucus
Former Member
Congressional Bike Caucus
Former Member
Congressional Brain Injury Task Force
Former Member
Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues
Former Member
Congressional Caucus on Hellenic Issues
Former Member
Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans
Former Member
Congressional Caucus on Sri Lanka and Sri Lankan Americans
Former Member
Congressional Children's Environmental Health Caucus
Former Member
Congressional Children's Working Group
Former Member
Congressional Disability Caucus
Former Member
Congressional Fire Services Caucus
Former Member
Congressional Human Rights Caucus
Former Member
Congressional Hispanic Caucus
Former Member
Congressional Narcotics Abuse and Control Caucus
Former Member
Congressional Strengthening the Mid-Atlantic Region for Tomorrow Caucus
Former Member
Congressional Task Force on Education
Former Member
Congressional Task Force on Homeland Security
Former Member
Congressional TRIO Caucus
Former Member
Congressional Urban Caucus
Former Member
Congressional Vision Caucus
Former Member
Defense Study Group
Former Member
Ad Hoc Congressional Committee for Irish Affairs
Former Member
Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Protections, United States Senate
Former Member
Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia, and Counterterrorism, United States Senate
Former Member
Subcommittee on State Department and USAID Management, International Operations, and Bilateral International Development, United States Senate
Former Member
Energy, Natural Resources, and Infrastructure Subcommittee, United States Senate
Former Member
Subcommittee on Economic Policy, United States Senate
Former Member
Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Protection
Former Member
House Oceans Caucus
Former Member
House Portuguese American Caucus
Former Member
Baltic Caucus
Former Member
Bipartisan Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer's Disease
Former Member
Congressional Andean Region Caucus
Former Member
Congressional Autism Caucus
Former Ranking Member
Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development, United States Senate
Former Ranking Member
Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Transnational Crime, Civilian Security, Democracy, Human Rights, and Global Women's Issues, United States Senate