Andy Kim Bio
Andrew Kim, widely known as Andy Kim, is an American politician and former diplomat serving as the junior United States senator from New Jersey since 2024. A progressive Democrat, he previously represented New Jersey’s 3rd congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2019 to 2024. Kim is the first Korean-American United States senator and the first Asian-American senator from New Jersey.
Before entering Congress, Kim built a career in foreign policy, serving as a civilian adviser to senior U.S. military commanders in Afghanistan and later working on the National Security Council during the Obama administration. A Rhodes Scholar and Truman Scholar, he earned advanced degrees in international relations at the University of Oxford, where he studied alongside Pete Buttigieg.
Early Life and Background
Andrew Kim was born on July 12, 1982, in Boston, Massachusetts, to South Korean immigrant parents. His father worked as a geneticist and his mother as a nurse. The family later settled in South Jersey, where Kim grew up in the Marlton section of Evesham Township and attended Rice Elementary School.
He later moved to Cherry Hill and graduated from Cherry Hill High School East in 2000. After spending two years at the all-male Deep Springs College, Kim transferred to the University of Chicago, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 2004 with a degree in political science. During college, he interned with the United States Agency for International Development and with the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless.
Kim later received both a Rhodes Scholarship and a Harry S. Truman Scholarship to pursue graduate studies in international relations at Magdalen College, Oxford. At Oxford he earned advanced degrees and became friends with fellow Rhodes Scholar Pete Buttigieg, the future U.S. secretary of transportation.
Path to US Politics
Kim began his government service at the U.S. State Department. He deployed to Afghanistan as a civilian adviser, working with senior U.S. military commanders including Generals David Petraeus and John R. Allen. His time in the region gave him direct experience with counterterrorism operations and reconstruction efforts.
After returning to Washington, Kim joined the National Security Council during the Obama administration, serving as a national security adviser focused on Iraq and counter-ISIS policy. Following the 2014 Sinjar massacre, he drafted the plan that was later implemented by President Obama to strike the Islamic State.
Encouraged by colleagues and by what he viewed as threats to healthcare access in his home state, Kim decided to leave government work and run for Congress in 2018. He settled in Bordentown Township, New Jersey, and launched a campaign for New Jersey’s 3rd congressional district.
Andy Kim Career
Early Career (2018)
Kim entered politics in 2018 by challenging two-term Republican incumbent Tom MacArthur in New Jersey’s 3rd congressional district. His campaign was inspired by MacArthur’s efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, and Kim drew endorsements from former President Barack Obama, then-Vice President Joe Biden, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, and actress Piper Perabo.
The race was considered too close to call on election night, but a delayed count of absentee ballots in Burlington County ultimately gave Kim a 2,500-vote lead. MacArthur conceded eight days later, and Kim won by fewer than 4,000 votes in what became New Jersey’s closest congressional race that year. He became the first Asian-American U.S. representative from New Jersey and the first Democratic member of Congress of Korean descent.
House Tenure Breakthrough (2019-2022)
Kim’s first official action as a House member was to vote for Nancy Pelosi as speaker, although he had voted against her during a November 2018 Democratic caucus meeting, citing the need to reopen the government during a shutdown. In February 2019, he introduced the Strengthening Health Care and Lowering Prescription Drug Costs Act, which passed the House in May of that year.
He was later appointed to the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis in April 2020. According to a FiveThirtyEight analysis, Kim voted with President Joe Biden’s stated position 100% of the time in the 117th Congress, earning a Biden Plus/Minus score of +45, signaling significantly stronger support for the administration’s priorities than his district’s makeup would predict.
Kim gained widespread media attention in January 2021 when, after voting to certify the 2020 presidential election, he was photographed cleaning up trash left behind after the January 6 United States Capitol attack. He later donated the blue suit he wore in the photo to the Smithsonian Institution, which was collecting artifacts from the event. He was named to Gold House’s annual A100 list in both 2021 and 2022.
U.S. Senate Era (2024-Present)
On September 23, 2023, Kim announced a primary challenge to incumbent Democratic Senator Bob Menendez, one day after Menendez was indicted on federal corruption charges. Kim was the first major Democrat to enter the race and framed his campaign around restoring public trust. He drew early endorsements from Senator John Fetterman and former national security adviser Susan Rice.
His campaign drew national attention when he sued to abolish New Jersey’s county-line primary ballot system, a move that ultimately succeeded in federal court. After rival Tammy Murphy suspended her campaign, Kim won the Democratic primary with 75% of the vote. He went on to win the 2024 general election, becoming the first Korean-American U.S. senator.
Since taking office in 2024, Kim has continued his focus on foreign policy, gun safety, healthcare, and government reform. He has voted multiple times to block U.S. weapons sales to Israel, citing humanitarian concerns in Gaza, and he supports banning stock trading by members of Congress.
Notable Events and Milestones
Kim’s tenure has been marked by several signature moments, including his 2020 vote for the Justice in Policing Act, his successful 2024 lawsuit to abolish the county-line primary ballot in New Jersey, and his widely shared 2021 photo cleaning up the Capitol after the January 6 attack. He has also distinguished himself as a leading voice on national security and progressive foreign policy in the Senate.
Andy Kim Career Wins
Kim has won every major election he has contested, beginning with his 2018 upset victory over Republican incumbent Tom MacArthur. He has since secured two additional House wins and a U.S. Senate seat, while maintaining close ties to the voters of South Jersey.
Congressional Highlights
In 2018, Kim defeated Tom MacArthur by fewer than 4,000 votes to claim New Jersey’s 3rd district. He won reelection in 2020 against Republican David Richter by a 53% to 45% margin, even as his district supported Donald Trump at the presidential level. After redistricting, he won a third term in 2022 by 11.8 percentage points, defeating Republican Robert Healey Jr.
Other Wins and Achievements
Kim’s 2024 U.S. Senate primary victory, secured with 75% of the vote, marked the culmination of his legal fight against New Jersey’s county-line system. He has also received notable honors, including Rhodes Scholar and Truman Scholar awards, and was named a Gun Sense Candidate by Moms Demand Action in 2024.
Andy Kim Family
Family Background and Political Lineage
Kim was raised in South Jersey by South Korean immigrant parents. His father was a geneticist and his mother a nurse, and the family settled in the Moorestown area. Kim has often referenced his parents’ immigrant experience as a guiding influence on his public service.
Personal Life
Kim married Kammy Lai, a tax attorney, in 2012. The couple has two sons, born in 2015 and 2017, and the family lives in Moorestown, New Jersey. Kim is Presbyterian, and in his free time he is known for his enthusiasm for making bagels, a hobby he has said he would have turned into a business had he not pursued a political career.