Andy Kim wins New Jersey Senate race after insurgent campaign

Rep. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) will win New Jersey’s open Senate seat, cementing his rise from an underdog candidate to one of the state’s top officials, Decision Desk HQ projects.

Kim defeated Republican Curtis Bashaw to win the seat, a result expected in the solidly blue state. More unexpected was Kim’s victory in the Democratic primary to become the party’s nominee through a grassroots campaign.

Having served as the U.S. representative for New Jersey’s 3rd Congressional District since 2019, Kim threw his hat in the ring for the seat one day after charges were filed against then-incumbent Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) on wide-ranging corruption allegations.

Menendez declined to run again for the Democratic nomination, and while he briefly ran for his seat as an independent, he eventually dropped out after he was convicted on all charges he faced and resigned from office.

But Kim faced an uphill battle running for the nomination against Tammy Murphy, who is married to Gov. Phil Murphy (D). Tammy Murphy seemed to have connections to put her in a strong position for the nomination, but Kim managed to hold his own in getting the backing of Democrats throughout the state, leading to Murphy dropping out of the race and clearing the way for Kim.

Kim also notched a win when a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction striking down New Jersey’s decades-old “county line” ballot that Kim and other candidates argued unfairly favored certain candidates who received establishment support in the primaries.

Kim will likely take his position soon; Gov. Murphy said his interim appointment to succeed Menendez, Sen. George Helmy (D), would only serve until someone won the general election. Murphy is expected to appoint Kim to serve the remainder of Menendez’s term before his own term begins to help give Kim seniority over other incoming senators.

Kim will be the first Korean American to serve in the Senate and the first Asian American to represent New Jersey in the Senate.