Kim Pelosi vote may be tied to committee assignment

Rep. Andy Kim may have voted for Rep. Nancy Pelosi in Thursday’s House Speaker to guarantee himself a spot on the lower chamber’s Armed Services Committee, sources familiar with his thinking on the matter told the New Jersey Globe.

Kim’s chief of staff Amy Pffiefer declined to comment on the matter, though she said assignments for that committee might not be available until the third week in January due to number of representatives seeking a spot on the committee within the Mideast region, which includes New Jersey, Virginia, Delaware, Maryland and Washington D.C.

During the campaign, Kim said he would not vote Pelosi, who is now Speaker of the House, into a leadership role.

“When I worked in Afghanistan, no one asked me if I was a Democrat or Republican, we just focused on serving the American people,” Kim said in June. “As I’m now working to help my community here in New Jersey, it’s time we have new leadership on both sides of the aisle in Washington to get the job done.”

Before Thursday, New Jersey had two representatives on the House Armed Services Committee, Reps. Donald Norcross and Frank LoBiondo, who did not run for reelection in 2018.

Kim and fellow freshman Rep. Mikie Sherrill are both seeking spots on the Armed Services Committee.