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Hugin

2026 candidate · follow the money

Who funds Robert J. Menendez?

New Jersey U.S. House District 8DemocratFiled as incumbentFEC H2NJ08232
Compare the whole race →Results in New Jersey ↗Search Hugin records ↗FEC filing ↗

What they did in office.

Sitting member of Congress · Robert Menendez

In the U.S. House (NJ-8) since 2023 · current term ends Jan 3, 2027

  • Recorded yea or nay on 24 of the 24 key House floor votes captured in Hugin's snapshot
  • 1 committee: Energy and Commerce · 3 subcommittees
  • 231 committees reported contributions to them this cycle · 3 committees reported outside spending for or against them

Linked to this filing by its exact FEC candidate ID (H2NJ08232) in the congress-legislators roster of Oct 21, 2026. Votes are one key floor vote per bill on bills named in contractor lobbying reports (Oct 29, 2026); committee seats are the roster as of Oct 24, 2026; money counts are FEC reports for 2026 as of Oct 24, 2026. These are what Hugin's snapshots captured, not complete records, and none of them is a score or evidence of motive.

The money.

Robert J. MenendezFEC filing: Robert J. Menendez · H2NJ08232 ↗
Raised
$2.2M
Spent
$1.8M
Cash on hand
$722K
  • Individuals 58% $1.3M
  • PACs & other committees 41% $886K
  • Other receipts 0.7% $15K

Campaign totals through Oct 14, 2026. Excludes $84K moved between the candidate's own committees.

Outside groups: $913K supporting · $0 opposing

Biggest spenders supporting

  1. THINK BIGSuper PACSpent mainly in primaries $638K
  2. PROTECT PROGRESSSuper PACSpent mainly in primaries $263K
  3. NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEEMembership group PAC · National Association Of RealtorsSpent mainly in primaries $11K

Largest direct PAC contributions

  1. CARPENTERS LEGISLATIVE IMPROVEMENT COMMITTEE UNITED BROTHERHOOD OF CARPENTERS AND JOINERSUnion PAC · United Brotherhood Of Carpenters And Joiners Of America $10K
  2. MACHINISTS NON PARTISAN POLITICAL LEAGUE OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MACHINISTS & AEROSPACE WORKERSUnion PAC · International Association Of Machinists And Aerospace Workers $10K
  3. AMERICAN FEDERATION OF STATE COUNTY & MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES P E O P L EUnion PAC · American Federation Of State, County And Municipal Employees, Afl-Cio $10K
  4. UA UNION PLUMBERS & PIPEFITTERS VOTE! PAC (UNITED ASSOCIATION OF JOURNEYMEN AND APPRENTICES OF THE PLUMBING & PIPEFITTING INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA)Union PAC · Plumbers & Steamfitters Local 22 PAC Inc $10K
  5. AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR JUSTICE POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (AAJ PAC)Membership group PAC · American Association For Justice (aaj) $10K

Who gave.

Who gives $1.3M from individuals

2% in small-dollar gifts

$29K of $1.3M came unitemized: from donors whose gifts to the campaign this cycle total $200 or less, whom the campaign does not have to name.

The itemized gifts below add up to $1.1M of the $1.2M the campaign reported itemizing through Oct 14, 2026. The FEC has not yet processed the rest into its bulk file, which runs to Jun 30, 2026 for this campaign.

43% from New Jersey · 57% from elsewhere

Of itemized gifts, by the state on each donor's mailing address; $750 had no usable state. Giving from other states is lawful and common.

89% of itemized dollars came earmarked through a conduit such as ActBlue or WinRed; each gift is counted once.

Top states

  1. New Jersey $460K
  2. New York $264K
  3. District of Columbia $72K
  4. California $67K
  5. Maryland $64K
  6. Virginia $29K
  7. Florida $20K
  8. Connecticut $19K

Top employers named by donors

  1. LOWENSTEIN SANDLER LLP $25K
  2. LEFRAK $21K
  3. LINDE-GRIFFITH $15K
  4. BGR GROUP $14K
  5. BLACKSTONE $14K
  6. SILLS CUMMIS & GROSS $12K
  7. APOLLO GLOBAL MANAGEMENT $12K
  8. WINNING STRATEGIES WASHINGTON $11K
  9. TIBER CREEK GROUP $9,500
  10. APOLLO $8,500

Employers as donors wrote them on the form. A company listed here did not give this money; people who work there did.

Retired, self-employed, not employed or not given: $206K. Employers named by fewer than three donors, or filed as a person's name: $670K, not listed so no one donor is singled out.

Summary through Oct 14, 2026. Itemized gifts dated Jan 29, 2025 to Jun 30, 2026, net of refunds (879 entries). Every itemized contribution on FEC.gov ↗

From the principal campaign committee's FEC reports; joint-fundraising transfers and later reports are not included, and no donor is named here. A contribution is not evidence of a vote, favor or wrongdoing.

Outside money in the final weeks.

Outside spending including late reports: $913K for / $0 against · $0 in the final two weeks

Source: FEC regular reports. The final two weeks run Oct 21, 2026 to Nov 3, 2026, by the date each ad or mailing went out.

What it bought, per the late reports

  • Digital ads 65% $573K
  • Mail, print & signs 33% $286K
  • Ad production 2% $18K
  • Other or unclassified 0.1% $600

Largest late spenders for

  1. THINK BIG $638K
  2. PROTECT PROGRESS $228K
  3. NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE $11K

Latest dissemination on these reports: May 27, 2026. FEC 24- and 48-hour independent-expenditure reports read November 4, 2026, with amended and re-filed reports counted once (12 entries). These reports on FEC.gov ↗

Outside spending is, by law, made without coordinating with the candidate and is not the candidate's money. Purposes are grouped from each spender's own description, so the groups are approximate. A dollar figure is not evidence of a vote, favor or wrongdoing.

Where it went.

Where the money went $1.5M in itemized spending

These itemized payments cover $1.5M of the $1.8M the campaign reported spending through Oct 14, 2026. The FEC has not yet itemized the rest in its bulk file, which runs to Jun 30, 2026.

  • Advertising & outreach 38% $561K
  • Consultants & strategy 10% $153K
  • Staff & payroll 8% $110K
  • Fundraising & processing fees 23% $340K
  • Polling, research & data 6% $88K
  • Travel, meals & events 3% $47K
  • Office, technology & overhead 1% $17K
  • Legal & compliance 4% $61K
  • Other or unclassified 7% $100K

Largest payees

  1. MEDIA FORTITUDE $215K
  2. FROST GROUP $196K
  3. MESSAGE & MEDIA, INC. $192K
  4. ROYAL PRINTING SERVICE $134K
  5. CARDMEMBER SERVICES $100K

Paid to individuals: $181K, such as staff, contractors and reimbursements. People who were paid are not named here.

Payments dated Jan 2, 2025 to Jun 30, 2026, as itemized by the principal campaign committee in FEC reports (522 entries). Every payment on FEC.gov ↗

Grouped by each campaign's own description of the payment, so the groups are approximate. Payments of $200 or less to one payee need not be itemized, detail filed only as memo entries counts under other or unclassified, and spending by the candidate's other committees or by outside groups is not included. A payment is not evidence of a favor or wrongdoing.

Others who filed for this seat.

Questions worth asking.

Money shows who backed a campaign, not how a person will act. Compare it with what they did and said: their votes or official actions if they have held office, their own statements, and their answers to a finding. Use the same questions for every candidate.

FEC bulk data read November 4, 2026. Campaign totals come from each filing's own FEC summary through its latest processed report. Outside spending is independent expenditures itemized in committee reports in the FEC bulk files, primaries included; late 24- and 48-hour reports, party coordinated spending, communication costs and groups that do not report to the FEC are not included. Outside spending is, by law, made without coordinating with the candidate, and it is not the candidate's money. A contribution or expenditure is not evidence of a vote, favor or wrongdoing. This page identifies the filing by its FEC candidate ID; a person can hold more than one filing.