BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — A local college professor is running against Sen. Bob Menendez for one of New Jersey's U.S. Senate seats.

Murray Sabrin accepted the New Jersey Libertarian Party's nomination Saturday at the party's convention at Rutgers University. Sabrin is a 33-year finance professor at Ramapo College of New Jersey and longtime political candidate.

Sabrin said his political message runs counter to Menendez's. "Our goal is to run a competitive campaign against the incumbent senator, a career politician who is wrong on virtually every domestic and international issue," Sabrin said in his acceptance speech. "His views are diametrically opposed to our campaign's message of peace, liberty and prosperity."

Sabrin was the Libertarian Party's New Jersey gubernatorial candidate in 1997. He was a candidate for the Republican nomination for a U.S. Senate seat in 2008, but lost to Dick Zimmer and state Senator Joseph Pennacchio. He again ran for the GOP's nomination for the seat in 2014, but lost to Jeff Bell. Sabrin proposed ending "trickle-down welfarism" by enacting a new tax credit system. For every dollar donated to a nonprofit, a taxpayer would receive a corresponding tax credit.

Sabrin is originally from Germany. He and his family immigrated to the United States in 1949. His parents were the only ones of their families to survive World War II.

Sabrin believes he can defeat Menendez and other candidates in this year's election.

"A victory in November, which sounds inconceivable, is as inconceivable as Donald Trump winning the Republican nomination and then defeating Hillary Clinton in the presidential election," Sabrin said. "We have the solutions, we have a great campaign staff, we have the determination to win, and with our collective efforts we will achieve what the pundits will say is impossible: Elect the first Libertarian senator in U.S. history." Email daniel.hubbard@patch.com. Get Patch breaking news alerts sent right to your phone with our new app. Download here.