Andy Kim, who upended New Jersey’s political landscape in his campaign to succeed Bob Menendez in the U.S. Senate, was sworn in Monday as New Jersey’s junior senator.
Kim, 42, a Democrat from Burlington County and the son of South Korean immigrants, makes history as the U.S. Senate’s first Korean American member and the first senator from South Jersey in over a half-century. He first joined Congress after he was elected to the House in 2018.
In a brief speech on the Senate floor Monday afternoon, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-New York) welcomed Kim, who he called “one of the most respected and admired members of the House Democratic caucus, where his talent was only matched by his decency.”
“He boasts an impressive record of service as a national security expert and diplomat and spent every day in Congress putting families first, and today will go down in history. Senator-elect Kim’s parents came to America without knowing a soul, and today their son becomes the first Korean American senator ever,” said Schumer, the majority leader. “That makes you proud to be an American.”
Kim was one of two senators sworn in Monday by Vice President Kamala Harris to fill vacancies, getting a jump on their six-year terms a few weeks before their colleagues who will be sworn in in January. Adam Schiff, a Democrat from California, also took the oath Monday.
Kim’s immediate predecessor was George Helmy — a former chief of staff for Gov. Phil Murphy — who stepped down over the weekend after serving since September to fill Menendez’s unexpired term. Menendez resigned in August in the wake of a federal corruption conviction.
“We’re excited to work with you. We’re ready to help you, and as you find your bearings, we urge you to never lose sight of the great responsibility you carry as a member of this body,” Schumer told Kim and Schiff.
Kim made no remarks on the Senate floor Monday.
“It’s an honor to get to represent the state that gave my family a chance at the American Dream in the U.S. Senate,” he said in a statement Sunday. “It’s a dream that remains out of reach for too many of our neighbors, and one that I’m ready on day one to fight for.”
Kim, a father of two young boys and a former diplomat, was elected to represent the 3rd Congressional District for three terms before launching his Senate campaign last year. He was the first Democrat to announce a bid for the seat in September 2023, just a day after Menendez was federally indicted in a global bribery scheme.
Kim campaigned by vowing to restore trust and integrity in government. The race quickly gained national attention when Tammy Murphy, New Jersey’s first lady, announced her own bid for the seat, won endorsements from a slew of Democratic Party bosses, and appeared set to win the coveted county line — a unique ballot design that critics say gives party-favored candidates an insurmountable advantage at the polls — in key Democratic counties.
Kim took most of the state’s county clerks to court to challenge the county line, and his subsequent court victories, along with Murphy’s withdrawal from the race and Menendez’s fall from grace, made the past year one of the most tumultuous in New Jersey politics.
Kim beat two other Democrats in a June primary — civil rights leader Larry Hamm and labor activist Patricia Campos-Medina. In last month’s general election, he defeated Republican Curtis Bashaw, a hotelier from Cape May.
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