Andy Kim
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New Jersey's 3rd district
Assumed office
January 3, 2019
Preceded byTom MacArthur
Personal details
Born
Andrew Kim

(1982-07-12) July 12, 1982 (age 41)
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Kammy Lai
​
(m. 2012)​
Children2
EducationDeep Springs College
University of Chicago (BA)
Magdalen College, Oxford (MPhil, DPhil)
WebsiteHouse website
Academic background
ThesisTransnational Advocacy Networks and Humanitarian Intervention (2010)
Doctoral advisorGil Loescher
Kim's voice
Kim speaks on U.S. military safety and readiness
Recorded June 21, 2019

Andrew Kim (born July 12, 1982) is an American politician and former diplomat who is the U.S. representative from New Jersey's 3rd congressional district. The district encompasses Philadelphia's eastern suburbs along southern and central New Jersey. A member of the Democratic Party, he has held the seat since 2019. Kim is the first Democratic member of Congress of Korean descent and the second overall after Republican Jay Kim (no relation).[1]

In 2023, Kim announced his candidacy in the 2024 United States Senate election in New Jersey.[2]

Early life and career

Kim was born on July 12, 1982, in Boston[3] to Korean immigrant parents. He was raised in the Marlton section of Evesham Township, New Jersey, and attended Rice Elementary School[4][5] before moving to Cherry Hill and graduating from Cherry Hill High School East in 2000.[6] After two years at Deep Springs College, Kim transferred to the University of Chicago, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 2004 with a degree in political science.[7][8]

During college, Kim was an intern at the United States Agency for International Development.[8] He later received a Rhodes Scholarship and a Harry S. Truman Scholarship to study international relations at Magdalen College, Oxford.[7] At Oxford, Kim became friends with fellow Rhodes Scholar Pete Buttigieg, now the U.S. Secretary of Transportation.[9]

Kim worked at the U.S. State Department. He served in Afghanistan as a civilian adviser to Generals David Petraeus and John R. Allen before working as a national security adviser under President Barack Obama.[1] Kim served as a United States National Security Council official.[10]

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2018

See also: 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in New Jersey § District 3

A resident of Bordentown Township, New Jersey,[11] Kim ran against two-term incumbent Republican Tom MacArthur in the 2018 United States House of Representatives election after advancing from the June Democratic primary.

Kim was endorsed by Barack Obama,[12] former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden,[13] New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy,[14] and actress Piper Perabo.[15] Kim said he was inspired to run in reaction to MacArthur's efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act.[16]

During the campaign, MacArthur sought to portray Kim as a D.C. elitist and outsider. In an ad run by the New Jersey Republican Party, Kim was described as "Real Fishy" in Wonton font on a picture of dead fish. The ad was criticized for its racial undertones.[1]

The race was considered too close to call on election night, but the next night, an influx of absentee ballots in Burlington County, home to the majority of the district's voters, gave Kim a 2,500-vote lead, prompting him to declare victory.[17] MacArthur conceded eight days later.[18] With a margin of victory of fewer than 4,000 votes, or slightly over 1% of votes cast, this was New Jersey's closest congressional race.[19][20] Kim became the first Asian American U.S. representative from New Jersey.[21]

2020

See also: 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in New Jersey § District 3

Kim ran for reelection in 2020. In the general election, he faced Republican nominee David Richter, a businessman. Richter originally planned to run against then-Democrat Jeff Van Drew in the second district, but after Van Drew switched parties, Richter decided to run against Kim in the third district.[22] Although the race was projected to be close, Kim won by 53% to 45%,[23] even though the district again voted for Trump.[21]

2022

See also: 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in New Jersey § District 3

After redistricting, Kim’s district became considerably more Democratic: Joe Biden would have won the reconfigured district by 14.1 percentage points in 2020, and Phil Murphy would have won it by 1.6 percentage points in 2021.[24] The Associated Press called Kim as the winner of the NJ-3 House election on November 8, 2022, in which he defeated yacht manufacturer Robert Healey, Jr.[25]

Tenure

Kim's first official action during his tenure was to vote for Nancy Pelosi as United States Speaker of the House, but he voted against her nomination during a November 2018 Democratic caucus meeting.[26] He cited the need to reopen the government amid the ongoing government shutdown for his decision to back Pelosi.[27]

In February 2019, Kim introduced his first bill, the Strengthening Health Care and Lowering Prescription Drug Costs Act (SAVE Act).[28] In May, the SAVE Act passed the House, 234–183. The bill, designed to lower prescription drug costs and included a provision to prohibit brands from stopping generic versions of drugs from being sold on the market, was not expected to pass the Senate.[29]

In June 2019, Kim co-sponsored an amendment to stop a pay raise for members of Congress.[30]

In April 2020, House leadership appointed Kim to the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus crisis.[31]

Kim voted with President Joe Biden's stated position 100% of the time in the 117th Congress, according to a FiveThirtyEight analysis. This results in a Biden Plus/Minus score of +45 indicating significantly higher support for Biden's priorities than would be expected given the makeup of his district.[32]

Policing

In 2020, Kim co-sponsored and voted for the Justice in Policing Act.[33]

Insider trading in congress

Kim supports banning members of Congress from trading stock, saying in December 2021 that he "disagree[d] strongly" with speaker Nancy Pelosi, who defended the practice.[34]

2020 presidential election

On January 7, 2021, after voting to certify the 2020 presidential election, Kim gained widespread media attention for a photograph of him cleaning up personal belongings left behind after the January 6 United States Capitol attack.[21][35][36][37] He donated the blue suit he wore in the photo to the Smithsonian Institution, which was collecting items from the riot.[38]

Committee assignments

Caucus memberships

2024 U.S. Senate election

Main article: 2024 United States Senate election in New Jersey

On September 23, 2023, Kim announced that he would mount a primary challenge to incumbent Democratic senator Bob Menendez in the 2024 Senate election, shortly after Menendez was indicted on federal corruption charges.[45][46]

Personal life

Kim married Kammy Lai, a tax attorney, in 2012.[47][48] They have two sons, one born in 2015 and the other born in 2017.[49][50] His family lives down the street from his childhood home in South Jersey.[51] Kim is a Presbyterian.[52] He is fan of the Star Wars franchise.[53]

Electoral history

2018 Democratic primary results
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Andy Kim 28,514 100
Total votes 28,514 100
New Jersey's 3rd congressional district, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Andy Kim 153,473 50.0
Republican Tom MacArthur (incumbent) 149,500 48.7
Constitution Larry Berlinski 3,902 1.3
Total votes 306,875 100.0
Democratic gain from Republican
2020 Democratic primary results
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Andy Kim (incumbent) 79,417 100.0
New Jersey's 3rd congressional district, 2020
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Andy Kim (incumbent) 229,840 53.2
Republican David Richter 196,327 45.5
For the People Martin Weber 3,724 0.9
Constitution Robert Shapiro 1,871 0.4
Total votes 431,762 100.0
Democratic hold
New Jersey's 3rd congressional district, 2022
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Andy Kim (incumbent) 150,498 55.5
Republican Bob Healey 118,415 43.6
Libertarian Christopher Russomanno 1,347 0.5
Independent Gregory Sobocinski 1,116 0.4
Total votes 271,376 100.0
Democratic hold

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Reilly, Ryan J. (October 30, 2018). "Andy Kim Is A South Jersey Boy. The GOP Calls Him 'Not One Of Us.'". Huffington Post. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  2. ^ Kim, Andy [@AndyKimNJ] (September 23, 2023). "After calls to resign, Senator Menendez said "I am not going anywhere." As a result, I feel compelled to run against him. Not something I expected to do, but NJ deserves better. We cannot jeopardize the Senate or compromise our integrity. Please join me:" (Tweet). Retrieved September 23, 2023 – via Twitter.
  3. ^ "KIM, Andy – Biographical Information". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. United States Congress.
  4. ^ "Andy Kim Raises Over $1.1 million in First Six Months of 2019", Insider NJ, July 12, 2019. Accessed July 27, 2020. "Congressman Kim grew up in Marlton, NJ, and lives in the district with his wife, Kammy, and two young children."
  5. ^ "Andy Kim to Hold Campaign Kickoff Rally in Marlton". Insider NJ. March 2, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2020. Congressman Andy Kim (NJ-03) will officially launch his reelection campaign at a rally in Marlton on Saturday March 14th, at 2pm. The rally will be held at Rice Elementary, the public school the congressman attended in the Kings Grant neighborhood where he grew up.
  6. ^ Rosenberg, Amy S. "Andy Kim’s campaign took off in the Mt. Laurel Wegmans. Now Kim, 36, is trying to unseat Rep. Tom MacArthur, New Jersey’s Trumpiest congressman", The Philadelphia Inquirer, August 27, 2018. Accessed November 9, 2018. "He and the super PACs supporting him have been relentless, running TV ads calling out Kim for taking a tax break on his D.C. condo after moving back to New Jersey and suggesting the Marlton-born and Cherry Hill East High graduate is 'not one of us.'"
  7. ^ a b "Two University of Chicago students win Rhodes Scholarships". University of Chicago. November 21, 2004. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  8. ^ a b Rizzo, Salvador (April 27, 2017). "Obama's ISIS Adviser May Challenge MacArthur". Observer. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  9. ^ Thompson, Priscilla (February 6, 2020). "Buttigieg gets endorsement from swing-district N.J. Rep. Kim". NBC News. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  10. ^ Bowman, Bridget (June 19, 2017). "Former Security Official Launches Bid Against MacArthur". Roll Call. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
  11. ^ Levinsky, David. "Andy Kim focuses first 100 days on transparency, outreach, and compromise" Archived July 27, 2020, at the Wayback Machine, Burlington County Times, April 21, 2019. Accessed July 26, 2020. "He now lives in Bordentown Township and is the first Asian American to represent New Jersey in Congress and the first Democrat to represent the district since the late John Adler of Cherry Hill, who served one term from 2009 through 2010."
  12. ^ Barack Obama [@BarackObama] (August 1, 2018). "Today I'm proud to endorse such a wide and impressive array of Democratic candidates – leaders as diverse, patriotic, and big-hearted as the America they're running to represent:" (Tweet). Retrieved August 1, 2018 – via Twitter.
  13. ^ Hefler, Jan (October 15, 2018). "At Burlington County diner, Joe Biden rallies support for Democratic House candidate Andy Kim". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  14. ^ Phil Murphy. ".@AndyKimNJ grew up in #NJ03 and served our country on President Obama's nat'l security team – of course he's one of us. Now he's making the GOP in Washington very nervous. Trump-like rhetoric has no place in NJ". Twitter.
  15. ^ Piper Perabo. "#NewJersey Garden State! Let's win this for the home team! #NJ03 I'm looking at you! @AndyKimNJ for Congress!!!!". Twitter.
  16. ^ McBain, Sophie (October 30, 2018). "Blue Wave: Meet Andy Kim, the 36-year-old former Obama aide running to protect healthcare in New Jersey". New Statesman. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  17. ^ Joe Hernandez (November 7, 2018). "Kim declares victory in N.J.'s 3rd district; MacArthur not conceding". WHYY-FM.
  18. ^ "NJ election results 2018: MacArthur concedes, Andy Kim wins 3rd District race". Asbury Park Press. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  19. ^ "New Jersey's 3rd Congressional District election, 2018". Ballotpedia. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  20. ^ "Surprises Amid Flips from Red to Blue, and MacArthur-Kim Still Undecided – NJ Spotlight". www.njspotlight.com. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  21. ^ a b c Wang, Claire (January 8, 2021). "Behind the viral photo of Rep. Andy Kim cleaning up at midnight after riots". NBC News. personal belongings strewn across the floor
  22. ^ says, Wade Campbell (January 27, 2020). "Richter switches districts, will run against Kim". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
  23. ^ "New Jersey's 3rd Congressional District election, 2020". Ballotpedia. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  24. ^ Fox, Joey (November 7, 2022). "Where each competitive N.J. congressional race stands, by the numbers". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  25. ^ "New Jersey Third Congressional District Election Results". New York Times. November 8, 2022. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  26. ^ Levinsky, David (November 28, 2018). "Congressman-elect Andy Kim sides against Nancy Pelosi becoming speaker". Burlington County Times. Archived from the original on February 14, 2019. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
  27. ^ Levinsky, David (January 3, 2019). "Democrat Andy Kim reverses position, votes for Pelosi as speaker". Burlington County Times. Archived from the original on February 14, 2019. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
  28. ^ Levinsky, David. "Kim's first bill would fund state-based health care sites". Burlington County Times. Archived from the original on July 23, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  29. ^ Levinsky, David. "Rep. Andy Kim's health care bill approved by the full House". Burlington County Times. Archived from the original on November 15, 2019. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
  30. ^ Taylor, Andrew. "Democrats re-evaluating plans to hike lawmakers' pay". Burlington County Times. Archived from the original on July 13, 2020. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  31. ^ Levinsky, David. "Rep. Andy Kim named to new House panel reviewing coronavirus response". Burlington County Times. Archived from the original on July 12, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
  32. ^ Bycoffe, Aaron; Wiederkehr, Anna (April 22, 2021). "Does Your Member Of Congress Vote With Or Against Biden?". FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  33. ^ "Andy Kim Discusses Police Reform With Burlington County Leaders". Moorestown, NJ Patch. July 10, 2020. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  34. ^ Christina Marcos (December 21, 2021). "Pelosi faces pushback over stock trade defense". The Hill. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  35. ^ Catalini, Mike (January 7, 2021). "'What else could I do?' NJ Rep. Kim helps clean up Capitol". Associated Press. Archived from the original on January 8, 2021. Water bottles, clothing, Trump flags, even a U.S. flag littered the ground
  36. ^ Woolston, George. "'Important for me to just do something': NJ congressman helps clean up Capitol after riots". USA TODAY. "I was cleaning up the Capitol because it was the right thing to do. That building deserves to be treated with respect, and yesterday it was desecrated," he continued.
  37. ^ Mishra, Stuti (January 8, 2021). "Photo of lawmaker cleaning up Capitol goes viral". The Independent. Archived from the original on May 7, 2022. water bottles littering the ground
  38. ^ Yam, Kimmy (July 7, 2021). "Congressman seen in viral photo quietly cleaning after Capitol mob donates suit to Smithsonian". NBC News. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
  39. ^ Levinsky, David. "Rep. Andy Kim lands seat on House Armed Services Committee". Burlington County Times. Archived from the original on July 23, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  40. ^ Levinsky, David. "Rep. Andy Kim named chair of Small Business subcommittee". Burlington County Times. Archived from the original on July 24, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  41. ^ "Rep. Andy Kim". GovTrack. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
  42. ^ "Pelosi Names Select Members to Bipartisan House Select Committee on the Coronavirus Crisis". Speaker Nancy Pelosi. April 29, 2020. Archived from the original on May 11, 2020. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  43. ^ a b c "Committees and Caucuses | Representative Andy Kim". kim.house.gov. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  44. ^ Tracy, Marc (February 2, 2023). "They're Not Just Dads, They're Congressional Dads". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
  45. ^ Wang, Philip; Ayer, Kaanita (September 23, 2023). "Rep. Andy Kim announces he'll run against NJ Sen. Bob Menendez in wake of his indictment". CNN. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  46. ^ Weiser, Benjamin; Tully, Tracey; Rashbaum, William K. (September 22, 2023). "Menendez Accused of Brazen Bribery Plot, Taking Cash and Gold". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
  47. ^ Rosenberg, Amy S. (November 8, 2018). "Andy Kim takes victory lap after election win over Rep. Tom MacArthur". https://www.inquirer.com. Retrieved January 30, 2024. ((cite web)): External link in |website= (help)
  48. ^ "NJ congressman builds Lego model of Star Wars ship with sons". Yahoo News. May 7, 2021. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  49. ^ "From the Quad to Congress: Rep. Andy Kim explains why public service is 'a way of life' | University of Chicago News". news.uchicago.edu. February 24, 2021. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  50. ^ Reports, Rafu (November 21, 2018). "Democrat Kim Defeats Republican Incumbent in New Jersey Congressional Race". Rafu Shimpo. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  51. ^ "About | Representative Andy Kim". kim.house.gov. January 3, 2021. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  52. ^ "Vote Smart | Facts For All". Vote Smart. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  53. ^ "NJ congressman builds Lego model of Star Wars ship with 2 sons". ABC7 New York. May 7, 2021. Retrieved January 30, 2024.

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U.S. House of Representatives Preceded byTom MacArthur Member of the U.S. House of Representativesfrom New Jersey's 3rd congressional district 2019–present Incumbent U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) Preceded byJohn Joyce United States representatives by seniority 256th Succeeded bySusie Lee
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