Sen. Robert Men‚ndez (D-NJ), was scored by the Washington Post on the percentage of votes on which a lawmaker agrees with the position taken by a majority of his or her party members. The scores do not include missed votes.
Their summary: Voted with Democratic Party 95.7% of 325 votes. Overall, Democrats voted with their party 88.4% of the time, and Republicans voted with their party 81.7% of the time (votes Jan. 8 through Sept. 8, 2007).
Source: Washington Post, "US Congress Votes Database"
Sep 8, 2007
Chosen as Corzine's successor after long political career
Rep. Robert Menendez, D-Hoboken, [was] anointed by Gov.-elect Jon Corzine, also of Hoboken, to fill his unexpired US Senate term beginning Jan. 17.
Menendez has survived the minefield of indictment-prone Hudson County politics. First there were the
murky waters inundating the Union City Board of Education. As a 19-year-old, Menendez was elected to the board and then served as its secretary. In that capacity Menendez testified before a federal grand jury investigating the board and Union City mayor
William Musto. Menendez called him his "political father" but cut the paternal link, later testifying against Musto, who was sentenced in 1982 to federal prison on corruption charges.
Menendez was elected Union City mayor in 1986, and re-elected in
1990. He was in his second term when he was chosen to succeed the late Christopher Jackman in the state Senate in 1991. From there, Menendez was elected in 1992 to the House of Representatives and was re-elected six times.
Source: The Jersey Journal, "Menendez vs. Kean"
Dec 22, 2005
Appointed by governor-elect Jon Corzine to fill Senate seat
On Dec, 9, New Jersey Governor-elect Jon Corzine appointed Menendez to fill out the remaining year of his term in the US Senate. At an event at Liberty State Park in Jersey City, Menendez made the following remarks.
Thank you, Governor-elect.
This is a privilege I will work tirelessly every day to honor. Along with our soon-to-be senior Senator Frank Lautenberg, you have shown what it means to be a powerful advocate for our state in Washington, and I know you will lead us to even greater days
when you take office in Trenton. I look forward to working with you in the days ahead to meet the challenges faced by this state and unlock opportunity for all of our citizens.
Senator Lautenberg, thank you for your leadership. I have a lot to learn
from you, and I look forward to working as the junior Senator for many years to come with someone who has so much respect in the U.S. Senate. Governor Codey, thank you for the leadership you provided in a difficult time.
Source: Remarks on Being Appointed to the United States Senate
Dec 9, 2005
American Dream is about keeping promise to other generations
My own parents came to this country fleeing tyranny and searching for freedom. And what they found was not just a country where people are free to pursue their dreams, but a country that also gives them the tools to realize them. In America, freedom
and opportunity are the keys that unlock success not just for the rich or the connected, but for anyone who is willing to work hard. My mother and father did not have an easy life. My mother was a seamstress, my father an itinerant carpenter.
I was the first in my family ever to graduate from college. Today, my daughter Alicia holds a degree from Harvard. That is the power of America. To me, the American Dream is about keeping a promise to those who have come before us and to create promise
for those who come next.
I have walked in the shoes of the average New Jerseyan all my life, and I know the challenges they face. I began a life in public service because I believed that one person committed to change could make a difference.
Source: Remarks on Being Appointed to the United States Senate
Dec 9, 2005
Priorities: affordable health care & college, and fair taxes
As your Senator, I will work to bring down the costs of health care for average New Jerseyans, so a visit to the hospital doesn't also mean a trip to the bank. I will work to make college more affordable for every New Jerseyan, so we can unleash the
God-given potential inside each of our children. I will fight for a real investment in stem cell research, which can deliver the cure for the diseases that plague our families. I will fight for tax fairness, so we put an end to tax cuts to those at the
top who need them the least and instead provide real tax breaks for the working class, the middle class, and those struggling to succeed. Our nation can not afford a tax policy that shifts the burden onto the backs of the middle class and threatens to
leave our children and grandchildren with crippling debt. And I will get up every morning and work to strengthen our national security by making the investments in homeland security that the Bush administration has ignored.
Source: Remarks on Being Appointed to the United States Senate
Dec 9, 2005
America needs unity to face challenges of globalization
America is locked in a tremendous race against competitors across the globe. An America that is united in purpose can answer that challenge. Unfortunately, the powers in Washington today have not brought us together to answer the great challenges our
country faces. At a time when this nation has needed unity more than ever, they have pitted Americans against each other. By putting special interests ahead of the national interest time & time again, they have weakened our nation, and left us unprepared
Source: Remarks on Being Appointed to the United States Senate
Dec 9, 2005
Voted NO on confirming Samuel Alito as Supreme Court Justice.
Vote on the Nomination -- a YES vote would to confirm Samuel A. Alito, Jr., of New Jersey, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.
Reference: Alito Nomination;
Bill PN 1059
; vote number 2006-002
on Jan 31, 2006
Religious affiliation: Catholic.
Menendez : religious affiliation:
The Adherents.com website is an independent project and is not supported by or affiliated with any organization (academic, religious, or otherwise).
What’s an adherent?
The most common definition used in broad compilations of statistical data is somebody who claims to belong to or worship in a religion. This is the self-identification method of determining who is an adherent of what religion, and it is the method used in most national surveys and polls.
Such factors as religious service attendance, belief, practice, familiarity with doctrine, belief in certain creeds, etc., may be important to sociologists, religious leaders, and others. But these are measures of religiosity and are usually not used academically to define a person’s membership in a particular religion. It is important to recognize there are various levels of adherence, or membership within religious traditions or religious bodies. There’s no single definition, and sources of adherent statistics do not always make it clear what definition they are using.
Source: Adherents.com web site 00-ADH11 on Nov 7, 2000
Member of Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
Menendez is a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus:
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) is an informal group of 18 members of Congress of Hispanic descent. The Caucus is dedicated to voicing and advancing, through the legislative process, issues affecting Hispanic Americans in the US and the insular areas. The CHC was founded in December 1976 as a legislative service organization of the US House. Today, the CHC is organized as a congressional member organization, governed under the Rules of Congress and comprised solely of Members of the US Congress.
Although every issue that affects the quality of life of Americans is of concern to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, there are national and international issues that have a particular impact on the Hispanic community. The function of the Caucus is to serve as a forum for the Hispanic Members of Congress to coalesce around a collective legislative agenda. In addition to covering legislative action, the CHC also monitors Executive and Judicial policies that affect Hispanics.
Source: Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute web site 01-CHC0 on Jan 8, 2001
Rated 100% by the AU, indicating support of church-state separation.
Menendez scores 100% by the AU on church-state separation
OnTheIssues.org interprets the 2006 AU scores as follows:
0%- 20%: opposition to church-state separation (approx. 232 members)
21%- 79%: mixed record on church-state separation (approx. 79 members)
80%-100%: support of church-state separation (approx. 153 members)
About the AU (from their website, www.au.org):
Americans United for Separation of Church and State (AU) is a religious liberty watchdog group based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1947, the organization educates Americans about the importance of church-state separation in safeguarding religious freedom.
AU is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to preserving the constitutional principle of church-state separation as the only way to ensure religious freedom for all Americans.
Americans United is a national organization with members in all 50 states. We are headquartered in Washington, D.C., and led by the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director. AU has more than 75,000 members from all over the country. They include people from all walks of life and from various faith communities, as well as those who profess no particular faith. We are funded by donations from our members and others who support church-state separation. We do not seek, nor would we accept, government funding.
