Rep. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) on Saturday announced he is challenging Sen. Bob Menendez for his Senate seat after calling for him to resign amidst a new indictment.
Kim was the first Democrat from the New Jersey congressional delegation to say Menendez should step down Friday as other members of the delegation waited it out. Since then, five other New Jersey Democrats have called for his resignation as well as Gov. Phil Murphy.
“I feel compelled to run against him,” Kim said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Not something I expected to do, but NJ deserves better. We cannot jeopardize the Senate or compromise our integrity.”
Menendez was charged Friday for taking bribes to use his position as chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to help the Egyptian government and other businesspeople. Menendez has since stepped down from his position on the committee but has rejected calls from his own state and party to step down.
“I am not going anywhere,” Menendez said in a statement following calls to resign Friday.
Kim has represented New Jersey’s third congressional district since 2018 after flipping it from Republican control. He previously served as national security advisor under the Obama administration.
