The Hudson County politician's daughter is five months pregnant and lives in Miami, the scene of the first stateside transmission of the virus that can cause severe birth defects.
Like most Jersey politicians, Sen. Bob Menendez is rarely at a loss for words.
That is, until someone asks him about his daughter: The one who's five months' pregnant with his first grandchild, and lives in Miami, where the Zika virus is now spreading.
Alicia Jacobsen Menendez cried five times last week when she heard that Miami mosquitoes were now transmitting the disease, said her father.
He spoke about her briefly at a pond-side press conference in Edison in which he urged an emergency session of Congress to approve funds to battle the mosquito-borne infection. Zika can cause devastating birth defects if a woman is bitten during pregnancy.
But when asked later to elaborate about his own reaction to word Zika was now present in Miami's mosquitoes, he paused as if perhaps he hadn't heard the question. He cleared his throat as if preparing to speak, but remained silent.
It turns out to have been a largely successful attempt to regain his composure.
Sen. Bob Menendez stands by a pond near the Dismal Swamp in Edison, preparing to make remarks about Zika funding. (Photo by Kathleen O'Brien | NJ Advance Media) "When she first told me she was pregnant, we were elated and overjoyed," he said. When she announced her news, the only Zika cases in the mainland United States were among travelers who had been infected elsewhere.
That changed with word that a mile-square neighborhood in Miami had been the site of local transmission of the virus - by mosquitoes that survived the first bombardment of insecticide.
"My first reaction was concern for her, for the health of the baby. I know how much it means to her," Menendez said. "I've had the blessing of two kids that were born healthy, that were healthy their whole lives. And I've also had many friends who have not necessarily had that blessing. So thinking about how that blessing could potentially be such a challenge for the child is very emotional."
He has told his daughter she's welcome to come live with him until her due date in December, and she is contemplating it - although her doctor told her that may be a bit of an overreaction, he said. Alicia Menendez is a television host and commentator on Fusion, a Miami-based cable channel. She and her husband do not live in the neighborhood currently under CDC scrutiny for Zika.
While there are more than 80 cases of Zika illness in New Jersey so far, none have been acquired locally. And the main species of mosquito that transmits the virus hasn't been detected in New Jersey yet, according to a spokesman for the N.J. Department of Environmental Protection.
As a senator, Menendez has been joining the chorus of largely Democratic legislators pressuring the Congressional leadership to summon lawmakers back for an emergency session to approve President Obama's scaled-back request for $1.1 billion to fight Zika.
The request passed the U.S. Senate, but hit a roadblock in the House when Republicans inserted a provision banning Planned Parenthood from receiving any of the funds. The president has said he would veto that version, so the stand-off continued until lawmakers took their traditional August recess three weeks early to attend their party conventions.
Beyond holding press conferences and Googling insect repellant clothing, though, Menendez said there isn't much more he can do to help his daughter.
"I almost feel somewhat helpless in finding a way to protect her," he said, his voice breaking. "When she was growing up, that was part of what I would do, or try to do. But at the end of the day, I don't have the wherewithal to protect her."
Kathleen O'Brien may be reached at kobrien@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @OBrienLedger. Find NJ.com on Facebook.