Democrat Andy Kim wins N.J. Senate race defeating Republican Curtis Bashaw, 4 others

Democrat U.S. Rep. Andy Kim has won New Jersey’s U.S. Senate race, defeating his Republican counterpart Curtis Bashaw and four other candidates.

Kim will occupy the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Bob Menendez earlier this summer. Menendez resigned in August after being found guilty in his federal bribery and corruption trial.

Kim, who grew up in South Jersey and has represented the 3rd Congressional district since 2019, made affordability and restoring integrity and trust in politics  his key campaign issues. On the campaign trail, Kim highlighted his efforts in Congress to improve housing affordability, raise the minimum wage and help seniors.

Kim announced he would run against Menendez in the fall of last year, one day after Menendez was indicted for a second time on federal corruption charges. New Jersey first lady Tammy Murphy had also entered the primary race, but she dropped out in March after she struggled to build support.

During the campaign, Kim won a significant legal battle and was able to change the “county line” ballot arrangement in New Jersey, which gave candidates supported by party leaders a favored position on printed ballots.

Republican Curtis Bashaw, who grew up in Camden County, had focused on border security and affordability in his campaign.

He frequently described himself as an agent of change, and said as an openly gay man who supports pro-choice policy that he was not a typical Republican candidate. Bashaw defeated Mendham Mayor Christine Serrano Glassner, who was backed by former President Donald Trump in the GOP primary, but his endorsement of Trump for president likely hurt his chances for a Senate victory with New Jersey voters.