New Jersey’s newest U.S. Senator was formally sworn in Monday afternoon. Sen. Andy Kim won the seat previously held by Bob Menendez during the election last month and will finish the last two weeks of Menendez’s term in accordance with vacancy laws.
Kim is the first Korean American elected to the U.S. Senate.
Kim was sworn in Monday night alongside newly minted Sen. Adam Schiff of California and Sen. Pete Ricketts of Nebraska by Vice President Kamala Harris.
After taking the oath of office on the Senate floor, Kim had a ceremonial swearing-in with Harris while his wife held the Bible. His sons joined them for a photo with Harris, who thanked the family for supporting Kim in his run and now his work as a United States senator.
Who is Andy Kim?
After serving three terms in the House of Representatives, Kim opted to run for the U.S. Senate in 2024 — initially challenging Menendez just one day after he was indicted on federal bribery and corruption charges. Menendez was convicted on a group of those charges in July and resigned his seat in August.
Kim defeated Republican Curtis Bashaw, a Cape May real estate developer, with about 53% of the vote.
During a contentious primary season, Kim went toe to toe with New Jersey first lady Tammy Murphy at county conventions throughout the state for the Democratic nomination before she ultimately dropped out. He also challenged the New Jersey Democratic Party’s machine — and, more broadly, Garden State political norms — by filing a successful lawsuit to upend the party-line ballot design used in most counties.
The interim appointee to Kim’s seat, Sen. George Helmy, formally resigned on Sunday.
Katie Sobko covers the New Jersey Statehouse. Email: sobko@northjersey.com
