Inside Rep. Rob Menendez’s fight to be more than a ‘nepo baby’ [Video]

When Rep. Rob Menendez decided to enter politics, his last name was undoubtedly his most valuable asset. Now, it’s his greatest liability.

Sixteen months into representing a House district in New Jersey just across the river from Manhattan, Menendez is staring down a well-funded, formidable primary challenge from Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla, who styles himself as a progressive urbanist and — perhaps more importantly — is not the son of Sen. Bob Menendez, who’s been all but permanently sidelined by his lurid corruption scandal and could face time behind bars.

Polling has shown that the younger Menendez could lose, and the congressman has to contend with two dueling headaches ahead of the June 4 primary: separating himself from his scandal-plagued father, and surviving the loss of the state’s long-standing “county line” ballot system, which has helped party bosses essentially coronate candidates like Menendez for decades. Running for reelection under what he calls “the …