By Mike Sherr
Former Editor-in-Chief
Democratic Rep. Andy Kim, the presumed Democratic nominee for one of New Jersey’s U.S. Senate seats, made a stop at the College last week for his campaign. At the event organized by the TCNJ College Democrats, Kim answered questions about his career in government as well as his own political beliefs.
The progressive Democrat currently represents New Jersey’s 3rd Congressional District, but declared his candidacy for the coming Senate election after Menendez and his wife were charged with bribery.
“I feel compelled to run against him,” Kim wrote in a post on X in September of last year. “Not something I expected to do, but NJ deserves better.”
Despite multiple charges of bribery and corruption, Menendez has remained in office and had declared that he would be seeking re-election. Tammy Murphy, wife of Democratic Governor Phil Murphy, soon after declared that she would also be seeking to oust Menendez, making it a hotly contested Democratic field.
The race has been heated so far, with more charges against Menendez, accusations of nepotism against Murphy, a young Democratic organization being possibly threatened by the Murphy campaign and Kim’s war against — and recent victory over — the county party line.
Days before the scheduled TCNJ College Democrats event, Menendez announced he would not seek re-election as a Democrat, but possibly as an independent. Murphy dropped out of the race entirely to avoid “[wasting] resources tearing down a fellow Democrat.”
Within just days, candidate Kim became presumed Democratic nominee Kim.
“We're looking forward to no longer calling him Congressman Andy Kim,” said Jared Williams, co-president of TCNJ College Democrats and junior political science major, while introducing the candidate. “But to calling him the Honorable Senator Andy Kim for the great state of New Jersey.”
At the event, Kim discussed his political beliefs as well as his journey into politics. Attendees listened intently to the congressman and were even able to have brief one-on-one conversations with him, where they were also able to take a quick photo.
The congressman told the group he found his calling for public service following the 9/11 terrorist attacks while he was in college. He then went on to work for the U.S. State Department in Iraq and Afghanistan, and later for the National Security Council during a time when ISIS was expanding in the Middle East. Kim frequently aided then-President Barack Obama, but told The New Yorker that the work made him a “shell of a human being,” encouraging him to leave the White House job.
“I was a career guy, I swore my oath to the Constitution,” Kim told the group. “I was not affiliated with any [political] party in a formal way. I served whoever was the president and the executive branch.”
Kim told the group that he found himself worrying about healthcare, education and other problems as well as the election of President Donald Trump, whom he described as being “dangerous on all of these issues.”
“I just happened to be from a district that had a Republican Congressman. No Democrats were stepping up against him because, you know, he won by 20 points in his previous race,” said Kim. “I think that people thought he was unbeatable or that it would be exceedingly difficult.”
Kim went on to win his 2018 Congressional campaign and then re-election in 2020.
The congressman was also asked about a moment that gained him national attention: the Jan. 6, 2021 riots at the Capitol. After the violence of the attacks subsided, Kim made national headlines when he was spotted in the rotunda of the Capitol Building cleaning up garbage that the rioters had left.
“Part of me was hoping that what had just happened would be some like defibrillator moment that shocks our country back into some normal rhythm,” Kim said at the event. “Then just a few minutes later, people started speaking, and then [were] literally just pulling their speech out of their pocket. And it's the same speech that they were going to give denying the election results, the same speech that they were going to give as if the insurrection hadn't happened.”
Kim has a history of advocating for “good government,” which he is continuing in his current campaign. The congressman has used his platform and context of his campaign against Menendez to fight against policies which he believes are undemocratic in New Jersey. Even since the beginning of the race, media outlets have described his campaign as being for Senate as well as against the New Jersey political machine.
“I think just in general people don't want the same old same old politics here in New Jersey,” Kim told The Signal. “And I hope that we can see a lot more energy and participation in the Democratic Party, I think we can make it stronger in that way. So we're going to keep at it and try to do so through this election.”
Overall, the event provided a chance for students to hear from an elected official, something that is rare for members of the College community.
“I thought the event was a wonderful opportunity for students on campus to engage civically and learn to be responsible citizens,” said Meera Bhatt, a sophomore special education and psychology major. “While I appreciate TCNJ Democrats putting this event together, I wish there was more outreach done so Andy Kim's talk could have reached a wider audience. But overall, it was a great opportunity to learn from [him] and hear more about his values and his campaign.”
For the College Democrats, the event was a great opportunity to bring an elected official to campus, something they hope to do more of in the future.
“We all felt like this event was a huge success, both for TCNJ Democrats and for [the College] as a whole,” said Enzo Whetton, vice president of the organization and sophomore political science major. “We were very happy with the turnout and engagement from students who chose to attend and submit questions to ask the congressman and Senate candidate.”
The event served as a way for the campus community to be civically engaged while meeting one of the candidates for the upcoming primary at a time when Americans are becoming more apathetic about the political system.
“This is so important right now, you know, politics is not just like a hobby,” Kim told the audience. “It's not just like an interest that you have. It is about shaping the moment, about shaping the future. My kids are going to grow up and you all will be taking leadership as my kids get older, so like, don't screw it up.”
