New Jersey Rep. Andy Kim secures Senate seat vacated by convicted Bob Menendez
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Rep. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) beat Republican real estate developer Curtis Bashaw in the New Jersey Senate race, per the Associated Press, a largely expected outcome in the Democratic stronghold.
The big picture: The former State Department adviser will become the first Korean American U.S. senator. He'll be one of just three Asian American U.S. senators in office.
Zoom out: The seat was vacated by former Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez, who resigned earlier this year after he was found guilty on federal bribery charges.
- Menendez, who pleaded not guilty in his corruption case, filed to run for reelection as an independent while he was on trial. He withdrew his bid in August.
- Democratic Sen. George Helmy, former chief of staff to New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, was appointed to temporarily fill the seat until 2025, when the winner of the November election will take over.
State of play: Kim, a three-term representative, flipped his central New Jersey district in 2018, winning reelection in 2020 and 2022 with progressively wider margins.
- His path to the Senate opened up even more after New Jersey first lady Tammy Murphy dropped out of the primary. Kim consistently out-polled her and won county party endorsements at conventions.
Bashaw was a first-time candidate and ran as a "political outsider" who is "not your average Republican."
- In the solidly blue state — where abortion is legal at all stages of pregnancy — Bashaw tried to pitch his views on reproductive rights at a time when abortion access in the U.S. is being undercut.
- During a debate with Kim in October, he called himself "pro-choice" and said, "I am for freedom in the home," according to NBC Philadelphia.
- "I don't think [government] should tell a woman what she can do with her reproductive health choices," he said during the October debate.
Go deeper: Andy Kim wins New Jersey's Senate primary for Menendez's seat
