U.S. House, New Jersey 8th Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in New Jersey's 8th Congressional District?
Rob Menendez has the strongest record in New Jersey's 8th Congressional District. Rob Menendez scores 63 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. Rob Menendez's highest marks are relevant experience and showing up. Aristotle Eliopoulos (3 of 15 criteria), Craig Honts (2 of 15 criteria) and Da'Shone Hughey (4 of 15 criteria) have too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Independent
Aristotle Eliopoulos
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 3 of 15 criteria
- Character
- NR
- Qualifications
- 50
- Performance
- NR
Socialist Workers
Craig Honts
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 2 of 15 criteria
- Character
- NR
- Qualifications
- 38
- Performance
- NR
Independent
Da'Shone Hughey
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 4 of 15 criteria
- Character
- NR
- Qualifications
- 44
- Performance
- NR
Democratic · incumbent
Strongest record
Rob Menendez
63 / 100
Public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 55
- Qualifications
- 75
- Performance
- 56
The good, the bad and the unresolved
The record
The notable facts of each candidate's public life, each tied to a source and confirmed to be this person. Unresolved matters are labeled with where they stand and do not move a score.
Aristotle Eliopoulos
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Craig Honts
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Da'Shone Hughey
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Rob Menendez
- On the record2025-05-09
Was at Delaney Hall in Newark during the May 9, 2025 oversight visit when Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested and Rep. LaMonica McIver was later charged; he was not charged.
Sources: New Jersey Monitor via Yahoo News, Aug. 27, 2026, Office site press release, May 10, 2025
- On the record2024-02-06
Voted for the Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act; Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries voted Nay.
Source: House Clerk Roll Call 38, 2024
- On the record2023-11-01
Voted against the first resolution to expel Rep. George Santos, which failed; he voted to expel Santos on Dec. 1, 2023.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 564, 2023, House Clerk Roll Call 691, 2023
- Credit2023
Missed 16 of 1,917 House roll call votes from January 2023 to September 2026, 0.8 percent.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
- Credit2021-06-04
Sworn in as a commissioner of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, serving until his election to Congress.
Sources: ROI-NJ, June 4, 2021, Office site, Biography
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Aristotle Eliopoulos. No public record found.
Craig Honts. No public record found.
Da'Shone Hughey. No public record found.
Rob Menendez. His 2025 annual financial disclosure was filed July 13, 2026, after an extension; no stock transaction reports are indexed for him. No House Ethics Committee matter or FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10074390, FEC administrative fines search, committee C00799767
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Aristotle Eliopoulos. No public record found.
Craig Honts. No public record found.
Da'Shone Hughey. No public record found.
Rob Menendez. Voted for the 2024 Israel Security Supplemental and against the first George Santos expulsion resolution in 2023, both times opposite Democratic Leader Jeffries, and for several 2024 Iran sanctions bills Jeffries opposed.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 38, 2024, House Clerk Roll Call 564, 2023, House Clerk Roll Call 140, 2024
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Aristotle Eliopoulos. No public record found.
Craig Honts. No public record found.
Da'Shone Hughey. No public record found.
Rob Menendez. His office reports holding seven town halls in 2025. No 2026 general election debate record was found.
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Aristotle Eliopoulos. No public record found.
Craig Honts. No public record found.
Da'Shone Hughey. No public record found.
Rob Menendez. Port Authority commissioner from 2021 and U.S. representative since 2023. No censure, reprimand or House Ethics Committee matter found.
Sources: Office site, Biography, House Committee on Ethics site search for Menendez
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Aristotle Eliopoulos. No public record found.
Craig Honts. No public record found.
Da'Shone Hughey. No public record found.
Rob Menendez. Took the oath as Port Authority commissioner and U.S. representative; he was not in Congress for the 2017 or 2021 electoral vote objections. No official finding of misuse of office found.
Sources: ROI-NJ, June 4, 2021, GovTrack member page
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Aristotle Eliopoulos. Describes himself as a teacher, union leader and special-needs advocate; has not held public office.
Craig Honts. No public record found.
Da'Shone Hughey. Describes himself as a technology executive and founder of CODEIT Institute of Technology; has not held public office.
Source: Ballotpedia, Da'Shone Hughey
Rob Menendez. U.S. representative since January 2023, seeking a third term; earlier a Port Authority of New York and New Jersey commissioner and a lawyer at Lowenstein Sandler.
Sources: GovTrack member page, Office site, Biography
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Aristotle Eliopoulos. Lists priorities on affordability, education and special-needs services, public safety and health care access in general terms.
Craig Honts. No public record found.
Da'Shone Hughey. Describes a 'Hughey Plan' on apprenticeships, small business and transit-connected housing in general terms.
Source: Ballotpedia, Da'Shone Hughey
Rob Menendez. Serves on the Energy and Commerce Committee and its Communications and Technology, Energy, and Environment subcommittees, and publishes issue pages.
Source: GovTrack, committee membership
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Aristotle Eliopoulos. Completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Craig Honts. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey, and no campaign website or published issue statement from an allowed source was found.
Source: Ballotpedia, Craig Honts
Da'Shone Hughey. Completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Source: Ballotpedia, Da'Shone Hughey
Rob Menendez. Offers a newsletter, reports seven town halls in 2025 and publishes an annual report and issue pages. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: Office site, home page, Office site, 2025 End-of-Year Report, Ballotpedia, Rob Menendez
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Aristotle Eliopoulos. No public record found.
Craig Honts. His filed address is in Union City, which is in the 8th District.
Sources: New Jersey Division of Elections, official candidate list, Sept. 4, 2026, Wikipedia, New Jersey's 8th congressional district
Da'Shone Hughey. His address on the official candidate list is in Trenton, which is in the 12th District, not the 8th; his FEC statement lists Bayonne.
Sources: New Jersey Division of Elections, official candidate list, Sept. 4, 2026, Wikipedia, New Jersey's 12th congressional district
Rob Menendez. Raised in Union City and lives in Jersey City, both in the district. FEC by-state totals for 2025 to 2026 show about 40 percent of itemized individual contributions from New Jersey.
Sources: Office site, Biography, New Jersey Division of Elections, official candidate list, Sept. 4, 2026, Wikipedia, New Jersey's 8th congressional district, FEC contribution totals by state
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Aristotle Eliopoulos. No public record found.
Craig Honts. No public record found.
Da'Shone Hughey. No public record found.
Rob Menendez. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search, committee C00799767
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Aristotle Eliopoulos. No public record found.
Craig Honts. No public record found.
Da'Shone Hughey. No public record found.
Rob Menendez. Center for Effective Lawmaking rates him Below Expectations for the 118th Congress (LES 2.0 of 0.22, benchmark 0.52), with no bill enacted. No sponsored bill enacted is shown on GovTrack.
Source: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Aristotle Eliopoulos. No public record found.
Craig Honts. No public record found.
Da'Shone Hughey. No public record found.
Rob Menendez. Missed 16 of 1,917 roll call votes, 0.8 percent, from January 2023 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Aristotle Eliopoulos. No public record found.
Craig Honts. No public record found.
Da'Shone Hughey. No public record found.
Rob Menendez. Runs a Jersey City district office; reports more than 1,573 cases solved in 2025 and more than $6.1 million returned to constituents through casework.
Sources: Office site, home page, Office site press release, Aug. 25, 2026
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Aristotle Eliopoulos. No public record found.
Craig Honts. No public record found.
Da'Shone Hughey. No public record found.
Rob Menendez. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of -1.33070 in the latest posted House scores (118th Congress, 2023), ranked 392 of 436, in the bottom quarter.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores, 118th Congress
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Aristotle Eliopoulos. No public record found.
Craig Honts. No public record found.
Da'Shone Hughey. No public record found.
Rob Menendez. No public record found.
How to read this
Each criterion is scored 0 to 4 against the written rubric in the Ballot Standard. NR means no record: there is no reliable public evidence either way, so the criterion is left out and never counts against the candidate. A total is published when at least 8 of 15 criteria have evidence.
A sitting officeholder has a longer public record than a first-time candidate, so the two totals rest on different amounts of evidence. Read the count of criteria beside each score. Low marks require an official finding or a primary record. Allegations and opinion are not used.
No policy position is scored. Evidence checked October 9, 2026. Campaigns and readers can send a correction with a public source to tpg@thepoliticalgroup.com.
Questions
Who should I vote for in New Jersey's 8th Congressional District?
Rob Menendez has the strongest record in New Jersey's 8th Congressional District. Rob Menendez scores 63 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. Rob Menendez's highest marks are relevant experience and showing up. Aristotle Eliopoulos (3 of 15 criteria), Craig Honts (2 of 15 criteria) and Da'Shone Hughey (4 of 15 criteria) have too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Who is running in New Jersey's 8th Congressional District in 2026?
Aristotle Eliopoulos (Independent), Craig Honts (Socialist Workers), Da'Shone Hughey (Independent), Rob Menendez (Democratic, incumbent). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Aristotle Eliopoulos a good candidate for Congress?
Aristotle Eliopoulos has public evidence on 3 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
Is Craig Honts a good candidate for Congress?
Craig Honts has public evidence on 2 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
Is Da'Shone Hughey a good candidate for Congress?
Da'Shone Hughey has public evidence on 4 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
Is Rob Menendez a good candidate for Congress?
Rob Menendez scores 63 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria: character 55 of 100, qualifications 75 of 100, performance 56 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
How is the strongest record decided?
The candidate with the highest Ballot Standard score has the strongest record. Each of 15 criteria on character, qualifications and performance is scored 0 to 4 from public records and established reporting, the same way for every party. No policy position is scored, and unresolved accusations never move a score.
More on this race: every New Jersey race scored, and the New Jersey 2026 election guide. Independent scorecard by The Political Group, not affiliated with any candidate or party.