Rush Holt, a former eight-term congressman from Hopewell who was never part of the New Jersey political insider sect, has endorsed Rep. Andy Kim (D-Moorestown) for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate.
The endorsement from the Hopewell Democrat comes hours before Somerset County Democrats hold their convention to award an organization line in the Senate race between Kim, Tammy Murphy, and others. During his sixteen years in Congress representing the 12th district, Holt represented parts of Somerset County.
“Andy Kim has earned this seat,” Holt said “We all know he brings the kind of highly principled public service for the people that New Jersey wants. Andy has proven he can appeal widely to voters and build strong coalitions needed to help get Democrats elected across the state in November and beyond.”
The support could also boost Kim at next week’s convention in Mercer County, where the South Jersey congressman and former Obama White House staffer is already the favorite.
A physicist at Princeton University – his bumper stickers used to read, “My Congressman Is a Rocket Scientist” – Holt mounted his first House bid in 1996 as an off-the-line candidate for an open seat when Republican Dick Zimmer (R-Delaware Township). He finished last in a three-candidate field, but his 23.5% of the vote impressed Democratic leaders enough to give Holt party support to take on freshman Republican Rep. Michael Pappas (R-Franklin) in 1998.
Pappas was viewed as a heavy favorite for re-election, but circumstances abruptly changed that year after he went on the House floor and sang “Twinkle, Twinkle, Kenneth Starr” in support of a special prosecutor investigating Bill and Hillary Clinton. The stunt backfired on Pappas, and Holt beat him by 5,307 votes, 50%-47%. (Pappas launched comeback bids as a State Senate candidate in 2021 and 2023.)
Holt held on to his seat in 2000 by just 651 votes, 48.7% to 48.5%, after Zimmer sought a return to the House. Redistricting in 2002 gave him a relatively comfortable seat, beating Rev. Buster Soaries, a former New Jersey Secretary of State, with 61% that year, and a young real estate industry executive, Bill Spadea, with 59% in 2004.
Following Frank Lautenberg’s death in 2013, Holt ran in a special primary election for the U.S. Senate. He finished third with 17%, behind Cory Booker (59%) and Rep. Frank Pallone (20%) and ahead of Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver (4%). Holt carried Mercer and Hunterdon counties, but Booker beat him 53%-32% in Somerset.
He did not seek re-election to the House in 2014 and was succeeded by Democrat Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Ewing). Since leaving Congress a decade ago, Holt has been largely out of the pubic eye.
Holt came from a political family: his father, Rush D. Holt, was elected to the U.S. Senate in West Virginia in 1934 at age 29; he waited several months until he turned 30 and could be sworn into his seat. His mother served as a state legislator and West Virginia Secretary of State.
“I’m honored to have the support of Congressman Holt as we work to restore integrity and make sure people have a voice in our politics and in our Senate,” Kim stated. “Rush knows what it means to win tough races, and he knows the importance of making sure that we turnout Democrats and sway Independents in November. I’m proud to have him by my side and with our campaign for change.”