Andy Kim, a three-term congressman who upended New Jersey’s political landscape in his quest for higher office, was appointed to the U.S. Senate on Sunday.
Kim, 42, takes office following the resignation of interim Senator George Helmy, who had long said he would leave office as soon as the results of the 2024 election were known. He will fill the seat vacated by Bob Menendez this summer after his federal conviction.
“Today, I am appointing newly elected Senator Andy Kim to the United States Senate so he can begin his term before the new year begins,” New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said in a statement. “Taking this step will help Senator Kim make the smoothest possible transition into his new role so he can hit the ground running and serve the people of New Jersey.”
Kim was elected last month over Republican Curtis Bashaw by a margin of just 10 points — a relatively narrow victory for a New Jersey Democrat compared to previous Senate races, but nearly four points above Kamala Harris’ closer six-point margin was than expected. about newly elected President Donald Trump.
“It is an honor to represent the state that gave my family a chance at the American Dream in the United States Senate,” Kim said in a statement. “It is a dream that remains out of reach for many of our neighbors, and a dream that I want to fight for from day one. I want to thank Governor Murphy and Senator Helmy for ensuring New Jersey was well represented during this transition, and I look forward to getting to work on behalf of its people.”
Kim, a Moorestown resident who lives with his wife and two young children, ran a campaign focused heavily on ethics following the indictment of former Sen. Menendez, who resigned in August following his July conviction on 16 corruption counts.
New Jersey’s Democratic power brokers did not have Kim in mind to replace Menendez, whom they had supported during a previous corruption trial but whom they found politically untenable to back after his stunning indictment in September 2023 for exchanging political favors for gold bars and acting. as an unregistered foreign agent.
But Kim — known for his mild demeanor and a famous photo of himself cleaning up the Capitol in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 riot — shunned support from power brokers when he ran for Senate just one day after Menendez was indicted . First lady Tammy Murphy, on the other hand, took the more traditional path of securing the support of party power brokers who could exert their influence to grant her “the line,” which yielded favorable voting placement in the primaries in most counties.
Kim filed a lawsuit, arguing that the line was unconstitutional, and a U.S. District Court judge agreed, throwing out the line for the 2024 Democratic primaries and likely all future primaries. And Tammy Murphy, who faced anger on the left for her courtship of political bosses, dropped out of the race just before the decision.
Kim pushed to expand abortion rights in the wake of the Supreme Court’s overturn Roe v. Wadeexpanding health care and implementing ethics measures such as a ban on stock trading in Congress. But perhaps his most lasting legacy is the dramatic change in New Jersey’s voting structure, with primaries now organized based on office sought rather than party endorsement.
The change, while seemingly technical, threatens to diminish the influence of New Jersey’s county chairmen, who for decades have been able to influence, or in some cases single-handedly decide, which candidates will be the major front-runners.
Now Kim holds one of only three statewide elected offices in New Jersey, and his relationship with Murphy, who will leave office in January 2026 along with some of the state’s Democratic leaders, remains tense.
