New Jersey Rep. Andy Kim makes history as first Korean American elected to Senate

Rep. Andy Kim is poised to become the first Korean American senator in U.S. history after the Associated Press projected he defeated his Republican opponent, hotelier Curtis Bashaw, in Tuesday’s general election. Kim, the Boston-born and Burlington County-raised son of Korean immigrants, soared to victory after a roller-coaster campaign in which he capitalized on voters’ long-simmering resentments over New Jersey’s notoriously nepotistic politics and powerful party bosses. Public backlash was swift, and Kim took on the party bosses in court, challenging New Jersey’s unique ballot design that gives an advantage to party favorites who snag what’s known as the county line. His subsequent court victories, along with Murphy’s withdrawal from the race and Menendez’s corruption conviction and resignation last summer, made the past year one of the most tumultuous in New Jersey politics.