The next U.S. senator for New Jersey will either be a three-term congressman or a political newcomer.
Andy Kim, who has represented the state's 3rd District since 2019, handily won the Democratic primary election after his chief rival, New Jersey first lady Tammy Murphy, ended her campaign. He faces Curtis Bashaw, a Republican businessman who has not held elected office. Both men are running for the seat left vacant by Bob Menendez, who resigned in August after he was convicted on federal bribery charges.
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This election isn't expected to be close, with the Cook Political Report rating it a "solid Democrat" win. Polling has given Kim an advantage of 5-15 percentage points over Bashaw, and a Republican has not won a U.S. Senate race in New Jersey since 1972.
Kim entered Congress in 2019 as the first Democratic representative of Korean descent. His parents immigrated to America before he was born, raising him in South Jersey. He graduated from the University of Chicago and studied in England as a Rhodes scholar before serving as a civilian adviser in Afghanistan. He also interned and briefly worked for the U.S. Agency for International Development.
After working as a national security adviser for former President Barack Obama, Kim ran for office in 2018. He unseated incumbent Tom MacArthur, flipping a seat that had been Republican since 2010. He gained national attention for cleaning up the U.S. Capitol after the insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021.
Kim has run on a platform of "restoring integrity" to the U.S. Senate. This message extends beyond Menendez, whose initial refusal to resign sparked Kim's bid. In 2022, Kim introduced a bill that would prohibit members of Congress or their family from owning or trading covered investments. The bill, which did not advance, would also have barred lawmakers from lobbying after they left office.
As a congressman, Kim has shown a particular interest in veterans' issues. He co-sponsored laws extending health care benefits to Vietnam War vets and work study allowances to former soldiers enrolled in educational programs during the COVID-19 pandemic. He also supports universal health care, background checks on guns and abortion access.
Bashaw, Kim's challenger, grew up in Camden County. He obtained an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and went on to form the hotel company Cape Resorts. Through this venture, he acquired and restored the historic Congress Hall and Virginia hotel in Cape May. The company operates numerous restaurants and hotels in New Jersey and New York.
Bashaw was also previously the executive director of the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority.
As a self-described pro-choice married gay man, Bashaw has positioned himself as a socially liberal Republican. But his support of the Supreme Court's 2022 Dobbs decision, which repealed the constitutional right to abortion, has complicated that image.
He has called for less government regulations in several areas, including health care. Bashaw believes doctors should be able to practice across state lines and that insurance companies should be encouraged to compete to bring down premiums. He also supports middle class tax cuts and less "red tape" for small businesses.
On his website, Bashaw is highly critical of the Biden administration's immigration policies. He calls for a crackdown on "our porous border," but offers few concrete policy details.
Bashaw caused concern during his Oct. 6 debate with Kim when he froze in the middle of a response, and appeared faint and disoriented. He later claimed he hadn't eaten enough that day.
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