Rep. Andy Kim speaking to a crowd of supporters at Papillon 25 in South Orange on Jan. 26, 2024. (Photo by New Jersey Monitor)
Rep. Andy Kim became something of a household name for progressives nationwide on Jan. 7, 2021.
That’s when an Associated Press photographer snapped an image of Kim (D-03) on his hands and knees inside the U.S. Capitol, removing debris left behind when a mob of Donald Trump supporters ransacked the building while attempting to halt certification of President Biden’s 2020 victory over Trump.
Three years later, Kim’s bit of housekeeping has not been forgotten.
Denville man Bob Grant won applause from a roomful of Democrats in Morris County on Jan. 20 when he thanked Kim for “cleaning up the Capitol.” Kim was speaking to Democrats there to seek support for his bid for the Senate seat now held by Sen. Bob Menendez.
For Kim, first elected to the House in 2018 to represent a conservative South Jersey district that twice voted for Trump for president, the Jan. 6 Capitol riot represents an attack on democracy not unlike one being waged by New Jersey Democratic party officials in this year’s Senate race.