Andy Kim

REPLACING:

Bob Menendez (D) [i]

WORK HISTORY:

U.S. House Representatives (Member, NJ-03); National Security Council (Director, Iraq); Office of the Secretary of Defense (Iraq Country Director); U.S. Department of State (Foreign Affairs Officer); International Security Assistance Force (Strategic Adviser to the Commander); Center for a New American Security (Next Generation National Security Fellow); U.S. Agency for International Development (Conflict Management Specialist); United States Agency for International Development (Staff) [ii] [iii]

EDUCATION:

DPhil, University of Oxford (England); MPhil, University of Oxford (England); BA, University of Chicago; Diploma, Cherry Hill High School East [iv]

CAMPAIGNED ON:

Strengthening our Families Healthcare; Protecting our Environment; Serving our Veterans, Servicemembers & Military Families; Supporting Small Businesses & Creating Jobs; Making Raising a Family More Affordable; Reproductive Rights; Ending Corruption in Government; LGBTQ+; Gun Violence

ON THE ISSUES

REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS:

Kim is pro-choice and believes that the right to an abortion is an “essential human right.” In the wake of the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade, Kim voted in support of two congressional reproductive health care bills, the Women’s Health Protection Act and the Ensuring Women’s Right to Reproductive Freedom Act. Kim is a member of the House Pro-Choice Caucus and opposes a nationwide ban on abortion. [v] [vi]

IMMIGRATION & BORDER SECURITY:

During an October 2024 candidate debate, Kim supported border security while arguing for a “balanced approach” to reforming the immigration system. He argued that there should be legal pathways to immigration and insisted there was a backlog of immigration cases that would fail to be resolved without bipartisan solutions. [vii] During the 118^th Congress, Kim voted against Republican-sponsored immigration bills Secure the Border Act and the Police Our Border Act. [viii] [ix]

ECONOMY & JOBS:

Kim has supported congressional legislation to help families access “good-paying jobs,” including the Inflation Reduction Act, the American Rescue Plan, and the Children’s Health Insurance Plan and Science (CHIPS) Act. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Kim voted to provide relief to small businesses and implement programs like the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Restaurant Revitalization Fund. He has touted voting for the Better Utilizing Infrastructure for Lasting Development of (BUILD) Veterans Businesses Act to increase federal contracts for small businesses owned by veterans, as well as the Put Our Neighbors to Work Act that employs veterans for military construction projects. [x] [xi]

TAXES:

In January 2024, Kim voted for the House-passed Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024, which grants tax benefit expansions, including increases for the child tax credits and enhanced deductions for businesses. [xii][xiii]

CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY:

Kim co-sponsored and voted to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act during the 116^th and 117^th Congresses. [xiv] [xv]

CLIMATE CHANGE, ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT:

Kim argues that “climate change is a national security crisis.” In August 2024, he voted for the Inflation Reduction Act, which increased the production of clean energy infrastructure and cut greenhouse gas emissions. [xvi] [xvii] Within his congressional district, Kim worked with the New Jersey House delegation to forgive $26 million in outstanding community disaster loans from Superstorm Sandy, protected homeowners from financial penalties by drafting the Security After Sandy Act and supported reforming the National Flood Insurance Program. Kim is endorsed by the environmental group League of Conservation Voters. [xviii] [xix]

FOREIGN POLICY:

In April 2024, Kim called for a permanent cease-fire in the Israeli Palestinian conflict. He argued for a “bilateral cease-fire” that would allow the release of hostages and “surge humanitarian support” to save lives.[xx] In the same month, Kimvoted for a package of funding bills that supported American allies, including the Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, the Ukraine Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, and the Indo-Pacific Security Supplemental Appropriations Act.[xxi] In October 2024, Kim called for the United States to condemn Iran’s missile attack on Israel and support “the defense of Israel from future attacks.” He reiterated his support for anti-missile and anti-rocket systems Iron Dome and David’s Sling, which he believed saved lives during the attack. [xxii]

HEALTHCARE & SOCIAL SAFETY NET:

Kim is a supporter of universal healthcare and has argued for expanding Medicare to include coverage for dental, vision, and hearing. While serving in the House, Kim voted for the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022, which allowed Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices and introduced caps on yearly out-of-pocket drug costs for seniors and monthly insulin costs. A House Armed Services Committee member, Kim supports the military healthcare program TRICARE and urges for expanding access to healthcare for veterans. [xxiii] [xxiv]

DEMOCRACY:

Kim’s campaign website touts “Ending Corruption in Government.” He has demanded government transparency by drafting legislation to prevent “high-ranking public servants in all three branches of government, as well as senior staffers, and their families,” from owning stocks, serving on corporate boards, or lobbying after leaving office. Kim has also supported legislation eliminating dark money in politics and opposed Congressional pay raises. He led efforts to expand civic engagement, including expanding voting rights and promoting national service. [xxv]

SOCIAL ISSUES:

In 2022, Kim voted for the Respect for Marriage Act, which safeguarded marriage equality for same-sex and interracial couples and repealed the Defense of Marriage Act that he viewed as discriminatory for not recognizing same-sex marriages. [xxvi] He also voted for the Global Respect Act that would impose “visa-blocking sanctions” for violating an individual’s human rights due to sexual orientation or gender identity.[xxvii] Kim was endorsed by the national LGBTQ+ advocacy organization Human Rights Campaign in April 2024. [xxviii]