Healey has $1.5 million warchest for race against Kim in NJ-3

Republican Bob Healey has over $1.5 million cash-on-hand for his bid to unseat Rep. Andy Kim (D-Moorestown) in New Jersey’s 3rd district.

Healey brought in impressive $1,371,840 during the second quarter of 2022, but that includes $1 million of his own money.   His mother, Ellen, has already contributed $2 million to a super PAC, Garden State Advance, to boost her son’s campaign, according to a POLITICO report.

The first-time candidate has raised $2,404,534 since announcing his bid for Congress earlier this year.  Healey had previously loaned $260,000 to his campaign.

Healey, an owner of the Viking Yacht Company, needed to get through a competitive primary election against Ian Smith, a gym owner who won national prominence as a fierce critic of Gov. Phil Murphy’s COVID-19 business shutdowns and masking policies.  He defeated Smith by a 53%-38% margin.

“We are extremely pleased with the financial support we have received thus far but, more importantly, we’re tremendously encouraged by the support from voters,” said Healey.  “New Jerseyans are looking for candidates who are focused on bringing back the economic prosperity that has been lost in the last two years under Biden and Kim’s failed policies.”

Kim has $4.4 million banked for his re-election bid after raising $894,000 in the second quarter and over $5 million in this election cycle.

Healey is Kim’s third self-funding opponent.  He ousted Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-Toms River), who had financed his own bids for Congress, in 2018, and David Richter, the former CEO of one of the nation’s largest construction companies, in 2020.

The 3rd district became more Democratic in congressional redistricting – a court-selected tiebreaker picked the Democratic map —  shedding hugely Republican Ocean County and replacing it with more of Burlington, parts of western Monmouth, and Hamilton, Lawrence, East Windsor and Hightstown in Mercer.