New Jersey Democrat Andy Kim has won his bid for the U.S. Senate. He will become the first Korean-American elected to the Senate — and, at 42, its third-youngest member.
“We just won our Senate race!” Kim wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday, Nov. 5. “As a son of immigrants, a public school kid, I never could’ve imagined I’d get to serve as a US Senator. I’m deeply humbled and grateful to NJ and for everyone who got us here. I promise I’ll serve with honor and integrity as a public servant for all.”
Kim, currently a second-term U.S. Representative, made headlines on Jan. 6, 2021 when he spent hours on his hands and knees to help clean the U.S. Capitol following the riots, and was photographed doing so by Associated Press photographer Andrew Harnik.
In the days following the riots, Kim told the AP it “broke his heart” to see the destruction, and he felt compelled to assist in the clean-up. “What else could I do?” he said at the time.
“When you see something you love that’s broken you want to fix it,” he continued. “I love the Capitol. I’m honored to be there. This building is extraordinary and the rotunda in particular is just awe-inspiring. How many countless generations have been inspired in that room?”
Andrew Harnik/AP/Shutterstock
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Kim will take the Senate seat previously occupied by Democrat Bob Menendez, who resigned in August following federal bribery charges.
The longtime politician and his wife, Nadine, were indicted in September 2023, following an investigation into his business dealings with three businessmen connected to Egypt’s government.
Although the former senator, 70, pleaded not guilty to initial charges related to conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud and conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right, a New York City jury found him guilty on 16 federal charges in July 2024.
The decision came one month after the high-ranking senator filed papers to run for reelection as an independent candidate.
Kim, meanwhile, announced that he would run for the Senate seat as a Democrat just days after the indictment was first unsealed. Menendez ultimately resigned from his seat and withdrew from his independent bid for the seat.
