Andy Kim has made history early into election night. He will be the first Korean American to be elected to the U.S. Senate.
Kim, who currently represents New Jersey’s 3rd district in the U.S. House of Representatives, is running for Senator in New Jersey. The Associate Press has projected that he will defeat his opponent, Republican Curtis Bashaw.
The son of Korean immigrants, Kim was born and raised in South Jersey and is raising his family in his home state. He was sworn into Congress as a U.S. representative in January 2019.
Over the course of his young political career, Kim has become a leading figure not just for the AANHPI community but also for Americans in general. In January 2021, a photo of Kim cleaning the capitol after the insurrection went viral.
Kim announced his run for Senate in September 2023, while then-Senator Bob Menendez was still facing charges of corruption and bribery. Menendez stepped down in August after being convicted of those charges.
New Jersey Senator Cory Booker congratulated Kim in a statement released on X.
“I am so thrilled that tonight New Jersey has elected Andy Kim to serve alongside me in the Senate. Together we will continue to deliver for the people of this great state. Congratulations Andy!” Booker wrote.
Prior to his three-term service in Congress, Kim served at federal institutions including USAID, the Pentagon, the State Department, and the White House National Security Council.
He is a member of multiple House committees and caucuses, including the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus.
Kim’s campaign has not yet issued a statement based on AP’s projection.
AsAmNews will continue to update this post throughout the night.
AsAmNews is published by the non-profit, Asian American Media Inc.
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