Rep. Andy Kim (D-NJ) lost a crucial convention vote to his opponent Tammy Murphy in the U.S. Senate race. Kim is currently running to replace indicted Sen. Bob Menendez, who has not confirmed whether or not he’ll seek re-election.
Murphy won the Bergen County Democratic convention in Paramus on Monday, defeating Kim by a wide margin, New Jersey Globe reports. A number of local party leaders and elected officials voted at the convention.
Murphy received 738 votes from convention delegates and Kim got 419, making the margin 64%-36%.
The vote is a significant victory for Murphy, but Rep. Kim is not bowing out of the race.
“We knew this was going to be a challenge,” he told POLITICO. “But the fact that over 400 people were willing to stand up against the county chair, willing to stand up against the governor and the governor’s family, I think this was closer than I thought it was going to be.”
“I think I’m going to take Bergen in June,” he added.
He also gave a shout-out to the Korean American community in New Jersey.
“We’re really excited about the energy we’ve had. The Korean American community has been fired up here,” Kim said, per northjersey.com. “Bergen County is going to be central, so we’re going to continue to be up here.”
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