Andy Kim and Curtis Bashaw are running against each other in the US Senate elections in New Jersey

The next U.S. Senator for New Jersey will be either a three-term congressman or a political newcomer.

Andy Kim, who has represented the state's 3rd District since 2019, handily won the Democratic primary after his main rival, New Jersey First Lady Tammy Murphy, ended her campaign. He faces Curtis Bashaw, a Republican businessman who has not held elected office. Both men are running for the seat vacated by Bob Menendez, who resigned in August after being convicted on federal bribery charges.

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This election is not expected to be close, with the Cook Political Report rating it as a “solid Democratic win.” Polls have given Kim a 5 to 15 percentage point lead over Bashaw, and no Republican has won a U.S. Senate race in New Jersey since 1972.

Kim became the first Democratic representative of Korean descent to enter Congress in 2019. His parents emigrated to America before his birth and raised him in South Jersey. He graduated from the University of Chicago and studied in England as a Rhodes Scholar before serving as a civilian adviser in Afghanistan. He also completed an internship and worked briefly for the US Agency for International Development.

After serving as national security adviser to former President Barack Obama, Kim ran for office in 2018. He fired the incumbent Tom MacArthurthereby flipping a seat that had been Republican since 2010. He gained national attention for the cleanup of the U.S. Capitol following the insurrection on January 6, 2021.

Kim ran for the U.S. Senate on the platform of “restoring integrity.” That message goes beyond Menendez, whose initial refusal to resign sparked Kim's offer. In 2022, Kim introduced a bill that would ban members of Congress or their families from owning or trading covered investments. The bill, which did not advance, would also have banned lawmakers from lobbying after they leave office.

As a Congressman, Kim has shown a particular interest in veterans' issues. He co-sponsored legislation that extended health insurance benefits to Vietnam War veterans and work-study benefits to former soldiers participating in educational programs during the COVID-19 pandemic. He also supports universal health care, gun background checks and abortion access.

Bashaw, Kim's challenger, grew up in Camden County. He earned an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and went on to found the hotel company Cape Resorts. Through this venture, he acquired and restored the historic Congress Hall and the Virginia Hotel in Cape May. The company operates numerous restaurants and hotels in New Jersey and New York.

Bashaw also previously served as executive director of the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority.

Bashaw describes himself as a married gay pro-choice advocate and positions himself as a socially liberal Republican. But his support of the Supreme Court's 2022 Dobbs decision, which struck down the constitutional right to abortion, has complicated that picture.

He has called for less government regulation in several areas, including health care. Bashaw believes doctors should be able to practice across state lines and that insurance companies should be encouraged to compete with each other to lower premiums. He also supports tax cuts for the middle class and less “bureaucracy” for small businesses.

On his website, Bashaw is extremely critical of the Biden administration's immigration policy. He calls for a crackdown on “our porous border,” but gives few concrete policy details.

Bashaw caused concern during his debate with Kim on October 6 when he froze in the middle of an answer and appeared faint and disoriented. He later claimed he hadn't eaten enough that day.

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