Rep. Andy Kim has become the first Korean-American elected to the U.S. Senate.
The Democrat will take over the New Jersey seat held by former Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez , who resigned in August after being indicted on federal bribery and corruption charges.
The Associated Press called the race for Kim just after 8 p.m. on Tuesday night. Kim, who has represented the state’s 3rd congressional district since 2019, defeated Republican Curtis Bashaw, a Cape May real estate developer.
Kim thanked his supporters at a victory celebration late Tuesday, saying he was having a “hard time processing this moment.”
“I say to you from the bottom of my heart as the Jersey kid who never thought he would be able to say this: I am your next United States Senator,” Kim told supporters.
He thanked his parents and his wife, Kammy, for their continued support, before turning to his sons, Austin, 9, and August, 7, who had joined him on stage to tell them he hoped they were proud of him.