Menendez son is on 'first name' basis

Don’t read the fine print! Incumbent Rep. Rob Menendez apparently doesn’t want anyone knowing his father is Sen. “Gold Bar Bob” Menendez.

The Jersey City lawyer, whose father is being tried on federal bribery charges, opted to magnify his first name on his new campaign signs, while using a much smaller type size for his surname.

The final “E” in his last name mimics the wavy, red stripe “E” in President Biden’s 2024 campaign logo.

Democratic consultant Hank Sheinkopf said Menendez’s son didn’t have much of a choice.

“He knows he has a problem, because of his father’s corruption trial,” Sheinkopf said. “He’s banking on his personal relationship with voters, which he thinks is on a first-name basis.”

With the June 4 Democratic primaries fast approaching, campaign volunteers for Rob Menendez, 38, have peppered utility poles throughout his district with the political posters.

The offices of both Bob and Rob Menendez did not respond to The Post’s repeated requests for comment.

The congressman represents New Jersey’s Eighth Congressional District, which includes most of Hudson County and parts of Newark and Elizabeth. He first took office in early 2023 after running with signs that displayed his first and last names in the same size.

In 2022, Rob enjoyed a landslide victory over Republican nominee Marcos Arroyo, securing nearly 74% of the vote.

But the latest primary polling gives Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla a five-point lead over Rob.

PRINT JOB: Sen. Bob Menendez’s (left) ongoing bribery trial has led his son, NJ Rep. Rob Menendez (right), to emphasize his first name, not his last, on primary campaign posters.