Kim wins 3rd district House race

The Associate Press declared Andy Kim the victor in New Jersey’s third congressional district, ousting two-term Rep. Tom MacArthur and leaving Rep. Chris Smith as the only Republican member of the state’s congressional delegation.

MacArthur issued a statement on Wednesday evening conceding the race.

“Tonight, I called Congressman-Elect Andy Kim to congratulate him on his victory,” MacArthur said.  “Enough provisional ballots have been counted to make the outcome clear”

At the moment, Kim leads MacArthur by 3,474 votes, 150,510 to 147,036.

There are roughly 7,000 uncounted provisional ballots in the district, some of which will likely be invalidated before final counts are in on Thursday.

Of those ballots, 2,404 come from Ocean County, where MacArthur is expected to come out ahead, while 4,571 come from Burlington County, where Kim has so far won 59% of votes.

Kim declared himself the race’s victor last Wednesday after Burlington election officials finished counting mail-in ballots that arrived by election day, putting the now-congressman-elect ahead by more than 2,000 votes.

That lead only broadened as more mail-in ballots were counted last Thursday and Friday.

MacArthur pledged  a smooth transition.

“It has been an honor to represent the people of Ocean and Burlington counties over the last four years, and I am proud to have done so with honesty and integrity. My wife Debbie and I have been truly blessed in life, and our commitment to helping others has never been defined by politics or elected office,” MacArthur said.  “I am also a firm believer that good can come out of life’s disappointments and I look forward to what the future holds for us. Thank you to all of those who supported me and even those who did not. We must all work together to ensure that America remains the shining city on a hill that President Reagan described so many years ago.”

This story was updated at 6:52 PM to include MacArthur’s concession.