U.S. Rep. Andy Kim, whose 3rd Congressional District spans Mercer and Burlington counties, plans to challenge U.S. Senator Robert Menendez in the June 2024 Democratic Party political primary.
Kim announced his intention to challenge the three-term senator Sept. 23, the day after Menendez was indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly taking bribes from three New Jersey businessmen, according to published reports on www.politico.com.
Menendez and his wife, Nadine Menendez, and the businessmen were indicted on one count each of conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud and conspiracy to commit extortion.
Menendez and his wife allegedly accepted cash, gold bars, a Mercedes-Benz C-300 convertible and home mortgage payments in exchange for the senator allegedly using his influence to benefit the three businessmen and the government of Egypt between 2018 and 2022.
Kim’s decision to challenge Menendez in the June 2024 Democratic Party primary stems from the senator’s refusal to resign, despite calls for his resignation from Democratic Party elected officials including Gov. Phil Murphy.
“After calls to resign, Sen. Menendez said, ‘I am not going anywhere.’ As a result, I feel compelled to run against him,” Kim said.
“This is not something that I expected to do, but New Jersey deserves better. We cannot jeopardize the Senate or compromise our country’s integrity,” he said.
“I believe it is time we restore faith in our democracy, and that’s why I am stepping up and running for the Senate,” he said.
Kim is serving his third term in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was elected in 2018 and re-elected in 2020 and 2022.
Kim is a member of the Congressional Asian Pacific American and Progressive caucuses. He serves on the House Armed Services and Foreign Affairs committees.
Kim lives in Moorestown with his wife and two sons. He is the first Asian-American to serve in federal office from New Jersey.
The 3rd Congressional District includes Lawrence Township, East Windsor Township and Hightstown Borough in Mercer County.
It includes all of Burlington County, including Bordentown Township and the City of Bordentown as well as towns in Monmouth County.
