A pair of House candidates in New Jersey will bring serious name recognition when voters decide their political fates in November. 

Democratic House candidate Bob Menendez Jr., is virtually assured of winning his race. But in a nearby district, Republican Tom Kean Jr. is in for a tough fight as he tries to defeat an incumbent lawmaker.

In both cases, their famous fathers are political heavyweights that helped pave the way for the namesakes.

Menendez Jr., is the son of Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez. The junior Menendez has never held public office before, but on Tuesday night, he sailed to an easy primary win in the 8th Congressional District, an overwhelmingly Democratic enclave that includes some of the most urban areas of New Jersey, including parts of Elizabeth and Jersey City. Menendez is virtually assured of victory against Republican rival Marcos Arroyo.

Menendez Jr. is set to replace retiring Democratic Rep. Albio Sires. Menendez Jr. was effectively handpicked by local Democratic powerbrokers for the post. It's part of a political path greased by his father, who is the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and came up in the rough-and-tumble New Jersey political world. The elder Menendez held the House seat that his son is seeking for 13 years starting in 1993, before being appointed to an open Senate seat and then winning on his own three times.