TRenton, NJ – Democratic Rep. Andy Kim won Tuesday’s New Jersey Senate primary, putting him in a strong position heading into the general election in the blue-leaning state, though the victory comes a day after Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez signed up to run as an independent in between his federal corruption trial.
Kim, a three-term congressman who launched its campaign After the charges against Menéndez were announced last year, he rose to the top of the state’s dominant political party over a relatively short period. A former Obama national security official, he defeated an incumbent Republican in the 2018 House race and won a court ruling that overturned a unique system in New Jersey widely seen as giving political bosses influence over who wins primaries.
“Our victory today is a stunning victory for a grassroots movement that has mobilized against corruption and stood up to the New Jersey political machine,” Kim said in a statement.
His victory comes after a bruising start to the primary, when a battle between him and New Jersey First Lady Tammy Murphy began to take shape. Murphy, a first-time candidate and wife of Gov. Phil Murphy, dropped out of the race, saying she did not want to get involved in a negative campaign against a fellow Democrat. On Tuesday, Kim defeated labor leader Patricia Campos-Medina and longtime grassroots organizer Lawrence Hamm, who remained on the ballot.
Menéndez, a three-term incumbent senator, declined this year to seek re-election as a Democrat, but filed Monday in Trenton to function independently. He said he hopes to be cleared of the charges this summer.
Democrats’ strong control of the Senate means they can hardly afford a competitive race in a state widely considered safe for the party. It is unclear how Menéndez’s trial will end and how his candidacy could affect the race. Republicans are eager to exploit his candidacy as a barrier to splitting the Democratic vote.
Kim attacked Menendez and tried to link him to former President Donald Trump.
“New Jersey has a choice: the chaos and corruption of Bob Menendez and Donald Trump, or a policy that works for families struggling to make ends meet,” he said Tuesday.
Kim is known as a polite lawmaker who gained recognition for helping to clean the Capitol after January 6, 2021insurrection.
Murphy joined the race late last year and quickly gained the support of influential county party leaders, a sign that she would win their support and, with it, the so-called county line — or favorable positioning — in the primary election.
But Kim and other candidates sued to end the decades-old practice, which is widely seen as giving New Jersey party bosses influence over primaries, and a federal judge agreed to block it.
Kim, 41, is a native of southern New Jersey and returned to his home state in 2018 to run for Congress, defeating Republican Tom MacArthur in the 3rd District. A Rhodes Scholar, Kim served in the Obama administration as national security advisor, working in the State and Defense departments as well as the National Security Council.
In a four-way Senate race on the Republican side, southern New Jersey hotel developer Curtis Bashaw won significant support from the county party, and Mendham Township Mayor Christine Serrano Glassner won the endorsement of former President Donald Trump.
Although New Jersey has not elected a Republican to the Senate since 1972, the stakes are high, with Democrats holding a slim majority in the body. The Republican Party sees Menéndez’s independent run as a potential hurdle that could boost his chances in the fall.
“Republicans have the best opportunity to win this seat in 52 years,” Republican state Sen. Mike Testa said in a statement.
Menendez spoke briefly Monday outside the New York courthouse where his trial is being held, saying he has not changed politically despite running under his own banner rather than seeking the Democratic nomination.
Kim said Tuesday that Menendez’s candidacy is selfish and “I am striving to restore integrity in the U.S. Senate.”
Menéndez, his wife and two business associates have pleaded not guilty to federal charges that the senator traded the promise of official acts for gold bars, cash, a luxury vehicle and a mortgage payment. A third business partner pleaded guilty and agreed to testify in the case for prosecutors.
President Joe Biden and Trump, already their parties’ presumptive nominees, won in New Jersey on Tuesday.
The Democratic Socialists of America supported a protest vote for delegates to the Democratic national convention: voters were given the option to choose “noncommittal” on the delegate ballots, with the slogan “Justice for Palestine, permanent ceasefire now” appearing below .
Jessica Dunlap, a spokeswoman for the effort, said the goal was to send a message to Biden about his policies toward the war in Gaza.
A similar effort in Michigan this year yielded two delegates, against 115 for Biden.
New Jersey voters also chose House candidates, with some of the most closely watched races having some connection to Menéndez.
The race in the 3rd District, which Kim represents and is leaving to run for the Senate seat, was between Democratic Assembly colleagues Herb Conaway and Carol Murphy.
In the 8th District, Democratic Rep. Rob Menendez — the senator’s son — was seeking re-election against Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla, who during the campaign sought to link the incumbent to his embattled father.
This story originally appeared on Time.com read the full story
