Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) and six Pennsylvania representatives endorsed Rep. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) in the upcoming United States Senate election in New Jersey.
On Jan. 18, Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.), Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.), Rep. Dwight Evans (D-Pa.), Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.), Rep. Susan Wild (D-Pa.), and 1984 University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School graduate Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.) joined in support of Kim over New Jersey First Lady Tammy Murphy in the Democratic primary. Kim, who has held his seat in the House of Representatives since 2019, has largely been viewed as an underdog in the race.
The Daily Pennsylvanian spoke with Scanlon — who entered Congress at the same time as Kim and is currently vying for her fourth term representing Pennsylvania’s fifth district — about her decision to endorse him alongside her fellow Pennsylvania representatives. She stated that the representatives all came to the conclusion fairly easily, and decided to endorse him jointly to bring more publicity to his campaign.
“It was pretty organic. I think most of us were saying, ‘Of course Andy would make a great senator,’” Scanlon said.
Scanlon spoke of Kim as a colleague with different areas of expertise, which she said has made him valuable when she needs information that she is unfamiliar with.
Kim has a background in military and foreign affairs, having previously worked for the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Pentagon, the State Department, the White House National Security Council, and in Afghanistan as a civilian advisor. As a representative, he currently serves on the Armed Services and Foreign Affairs committees.
Kim has based his campaign thus far on combating corruption and regaining the trust of voters in New Jersey. This follows a scandal surrounding Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), the current holder of the seat, who has not indicated whether or not he will seek re-election.
Menendez and his wife were indicted on Sept. 22, 2023, for allegedly accepting nearly $600,000 in bribes in the form of gold bars, cash, and a luxury convertible in exchange for Menendez using his position as chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to serve the interests of the Egyptian government. Menendez has refused to resign or concede that he will not run for re-election despite calls from Fetterman and other Senate Democrats to do so.
“We are just cycling from crisis to crisis, and politicians aren’t focused on what the American people need help with,” Kim wrote on his campaign website.
In an interview with The New York Times, Fetterman — one of the most outspoken critics of Menendez amid the scandal — said that “anything would be an upgrade over Menendez.” He also expressed that he was “enthusiastic” about Kim's background in comparison to Murphy's as a former registered Republican.
“Andy is a true public servant and he has a quality of character that we wish all of our elected officials would embody,” Evans said in his endorsement of Kim.
The New Jersey primary election will be held on June 4. While Kim trails Murphy in fundraising and name recognition, a Feb. 2 independent poll — the first in the campaign — suggested that about 32% of New Jersey Democrats support Kim, while only 20% support Murphy.
However, Kim picked up a significant victory on Saturday against Murphy when he was selected as the Democratic Party's nominee in Monmouth County — a county which both candidates have ties to, as Kim represents a portion of the district and Murphy resides in it. Kim's victory is expected to give him preferable ballot position in the county.
“My decision [to endorse Kim] was based upon the fact that he is a good, thoughtful, principled member of Congress,” Scanlon said. “We'd love to have more partners like that in the Senate.”
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