New Jersey Republican state Senator Joe Kyrillos announced Wednesday that he will challenge Democratic incumbent U.S. Senator Robert Menendez, for his U.S. Senate seat in the fall.
Mr. Kyrillos made the announcement during a speech in Lincroft, New Jersey Wednesday, Bloomberg reports.
“Bob Menendez made things worse, yet he wants six more years to do more of the same. New Jersey taxpayers — our children, our grandchildren, our families — can’t afford six more years of Bob Menendez,” said Mr. Kyrillos Wednesday.
The New Jersey Republican has been representing the Garden state’s 13th legislative district since 1993, and made an unsuccessful run at the governorship of New Jersey against Governor Chris Christie in 2010.
Although Mr. Christie’s father was in attendance at his speech Wednesday, the state senator made sure to note that the New Jersey governor would not play a major role in his campaign in the fall.
Mr. Kyrillos will be going up against Mr. Menendez, who was elected to his first term in the U.S. Senate in 2006. The New Jersey Democrat reported having $6.9 million in cash as of January 1st in his year end report filing with the Federal Election Commission on Tuesday.
In 2009, Mr. Menendez took over as chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
Mr. Kyrillos will be fighting an uphill battle, as New Jersey has not elected a Republican U.S. Senator since the 1970s.
Mr. Menendez’s campaign releaesd the following statement Wednesday, regarding his new Republican opponent’s decision to run against him in the fall.
“Senator Menendez is proud to run on his record of working to restore financial security for New Jersey’s middle-class families, helping protect and create thousands of New Jersey jobs and taking on powerful special interests,” said Mr. Menendez’s campaign in a statement Wednesday. ”The contrast is stark.”
