Andy Kim begins airing first TV ad in NJ-3

Rep. Andy Kim (D-Moorestown) is going up on the air with his first TV ad of his re-election bid for a second term, a positive spot that highlights Kim as a family man and a national security expert.

Kim’s ability to launch his TV commercials in August stems from his competence as a fundraiser.

Last week, just 36 days into the 3rd quarter, the freshman congressman hit two important fundraising marks: $5 million since taking office, and $500,000 raised in the quarter.

The new ad starts at the front door of Kim’s home at 7:40 AM.

The Script: “Hi, I’m Andy Kim. Welcome. Come on in. Ok little guy, what do you want to wear? When I started in national security you learn that service to the American people, families like mine, that’s what matters. We try to have breakfast together as a family whenever we can. When I served in Afghanistan as a civilian advisor, it was about serving the country not a political party. I don’t care about Democrats or Republicans; I care about people. I work for the people and I approve this message for them. See you guys.”

The Kim campaign declined to say where the ad would run and how much they are spending.

New Jersey’s 3rd district is the most expensive media market in the state.  Voters in the Ocean County portion of the district watch New York television, while the Burlington County part gets Philadelphia TV.

Kim faces Republican David Richter, a former construction company executive who had largely self-financed his primary campaign.

A Rhodes Scholar who studied international relations at Oxford, Kim worked for the U.S. Department of State and in Afghanistan as an advisor to Generals David Petraeus and John Allen before joining the Obama White House staff as a national Security advisor.

The ad shows photos of Kim with Obama and in Afghanistan.

Kim stopped Rep. Tom MacArthur’s bid for a third term in 2018 by 3,973 votes (50%-49%) in what was the closest House race in the state.

As a first-time candidate in the 2018 mid-term elections, Kim raised $6,230,916 – significantly more than MacArthur, who self-funded his first race.  He brought in $4,778,480.

New Jersey’s 3rd district has 16,279 more Democrats than Republicans, but Trump won it by six percentage points, 51%-45%.

When the district was drawn following the 2010 Census, the Democratic voter registration edge was +8,863.