Democrat Andy Kim continues to post behemothic fundraising numbers as a candidate for a U.S. Senate seat, raising a leviathan $2 million in the second quarter of 2024, with over $4 million cash-on-hand heading into the general election.
Kim has raised more than $9 million so far this cycle, without accepting corporate PAC donations. His campaign says that 94% of his campaign contributions are $100 or less, with an average contribution of $60.
“I couldn’t be prouder of the incredible momentum we’ve built with this grassroots movement,” Kim said. “People across the political spectrum are energized that we are standing up against corruption and actually focusing on problems facing families instead of partisan performative politics.”
The race for the Democratic nomination turned out to be a perfect storm for Kim. He entered the Senate race on September 23, one day after incumbent Bob Menendez was indicted on federal corruption charges. He raised over $1 million in his first week after launching what was then a primary challenge against Menendez.
His main opponent, First Lady Tammy Murphy, dropped out of the race before the filing deadline after Kim won contested conventions for organization endorsements in Monmouth, Burlington, Hunterdon, Sussex, Warren, Ocean, Mercer, Atlantic, and Morris counties. These wins occurred before U.S. District Court Judge Zahid Quraishi abolished county lines for the Democratic primary and mandated an office block ballot.
The three-term congressman and former Obama White House staffer won 75% of the vote in the Democratic primary, carrying all 21 counties and every municipality but Prospect Park.
The Republican nominee, real estate developer and hotelier Curtis Bashaw, has not yet released his second quarter fundraising numbers; the deadline is July 15. Neither has Menendez, who has filed to run as an independent; the jury is expected to begin deliberations in his bribery and extortion trial later this week.
Two independent polls – one from a GOP super PAC – have shown a potentially close race between Kim and Bashaw, especially if Menendez remains in the race; still, those polls don’t reflect the results of the three-term senator’s trial.
New Jersey has 929,827 more Democrats than Republicans and has not elected a Republican to the U.S. Senate since 1972. Since then, 48 other states have elected a Republican U.S. Senator; only Hawaii has gone longer.
Kim has proven himself a prodigious political fundraiser since narrowly unseating two-term Rep. Thomas MacArthur (R-Toms River) in 2018. He twice won a congressional district that Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020 before redistricting allowed him to secure a double-digit win in 2022. All three of his Republican opponents have been millionaire self-funders.