Some big news today out of New Jersey:
Rep. Andy Kim (D-Moorestown) starts out with a big advantage in the 2024 Democratic primary for U.S. Senate according to a new poll released this morning by End Citizens United, a national group that’s supporting Kim.
The poll, which was conducted by the liberal pollster Public Policy Polling, finds that in a head-to-head between Kim and incumbent Senator Bob Menendez, Kim has a dominant 63%-10% lead among likely Democratic primary voters. Two weeks ago, Menendez was indicted on federal bribery charges, a development which torpedoed the senator’s popularity, led to widespread calls for resignation, and prompted Kim to enter the Senate race.
Kim may not get the anti-Menendez lane to himself, however; other notable Democrats are also considering the race, most prominently First Lady Tammy Murphy. In the event of a three-way race with Murphy, the End Citizens United poll puts Kim in the lead with 42%, Murphy in second place with 19%, and Menendez far behind with just 5%.
Even accounting for the fact that it was released by an allied organization, the poll, which was first reported by Politico NJ, is a good one for Kim. The three-term congressman has a strong favorability score – 54% favorable, 6% unfavorable among Democratic – and, at least for now, appears to be in the best position to consolidate anti-Menendez primary voters.
“The stakes in this election couldn’t be higher, and people understand that if Senator Menendez is the Democratic nominee, we could lose this seat,” Kim said in a statement. “People understand that, and this poll makes it clear we are ready to move on from indictments and allegations of corruption.”
In case you didn’t hear about this:
Sen. Bob Menendez's then-girlfriend, now his wife, struck and killed a pedestrian in December 2018, newly revealed police records show.
Four months after the incident, Nadine Arslanian and Menendez, D-N.J., were allegedly given a new Mercedes as a gift as part of what federal prosecutors have described as a bribery conspiracy to cash in on Menendez's power and influence. Police records indicate the fatal collision badly damaged Arslanian’s Mercedes.
The crash, which was first reported Wednesday by the Record newspaper of Bergen and The New York Times, happened on the night of Dec. 12, 2018, in the New Jersey town of Bogota.
Arslanian, who was not charged, told police she was driving on Main Street when a man later identified as Richard Koop "jumped on my windshield," according to dashboard video obtained by NBC New York.
If Menendez continues to refuse to the right thing and resign, then we have to help Kim get ready to defeat him in the primary. Click here to donate and get involved with Kim’s campaign.