New Jersey
Andy Kim says his win has changed Jersey politics 'forever.' Let's hope. • New Jersey Monitor
New Jersey Democrats had a terrible Election Day, but a bright spot for them occurred with Rep. Andy Kim’s victory in the U.S. Senate race.
Kim’s convincing win not only gave Democrats something to celebrate as they mourned the thumping Donald Trump gave the party nationwide, but it signaled what could be a new chapter for New Jersey politics — if our bosses don’t stand in the way.
“Let there be no doubt this is a new era of politics rising. The same old, same old is done, and we’ve shown New Jersey that there’s a better way,” Kim told cheering supporters in Cherry Hill Tuesday night.
Kim captured the seat that was once held for 18 years by Bob Menendez, a Hudson County Democrat who began his political career as a reformer but ended it after a bribery trial that exposed him as a cartoonishly corrupt pol, one with literal bars of gold he took from men who needed favors from him. From Menendez to Kim — what a glow-up for New Jersey.
That Menendez remained in the Senate for so long is an example of the same old, same old approach to politics Kim declared dead in his victory speech.
If our public officials cared more about what we think of them, Menendez would have been shamed into stepping down when his first corruption trial revealed the shady relationship he had with a major campaign donor and friend (the jury deadlocked). Instead, Menendez sought reelection to a second term anyway and launched that campaign in 2018 at a rally where powerful New Jersey Democrats like Gov. Phil Murphy and Sen. Cory Booker — who should have been pushing him into retirement — feted him as someone we could not live without.
Menendez eked out a primary victory, won a second term on the strength of New Jersey Democrats’ loathing of Donald Trump, and then spent that term participating in a new bribery scheme, this time with global actors. This led to indictment No. 2 in September 2023.
Kim has said the new charges inspired his bid to oust Menendez. And on Tuesday, he promised not to embarrass New Jersey the way Menendez did.
“I assure you I will give this everything I have and I will try and serve with honor and integrity. I promise you I will not lose myself along the way. I will anchor myself in the deep sense of public service that has guided me all these years,” he said.
The idea that Kim would ascend to the Senate seemed improbable from the start. He had arrived on the political scene way later than some other Democrats who probably thought they’d be next in line for the Senate seat. He wasn’t exactly beloved by New Jersey’s political establishment. And he soon found a primary rival — first lady Tammy Murphy — who had the support of so many Democratic Party officials that her victory seemed a fait accompli in a state where the party machine reigns.
Any other Democrat probably would have folded under the pressure of going against the wife of the sitting governor and every party boss in the state. But not only did Kim press on and emerge victorious — Murphy dropped out of the primary before a single vote was cast — he simultaneously led a court fight that put a stake through the heart of New Jersey’s notorious county line, a move that has the potential to limit the power of party bosses and make it easier for the next Andy Kim to replace the next Bob Menendez.
When Kim told his supporters Tuesday that they showed New Jersey there’s a better way, he was right. His candidacy proved to any person out there who wants to take on the political establishment that they can do it, too, and they can win without bending the knee to party bosses.
Kim told me Tuesday he thinks that because of his candidacy, “Jersey politics has changed forever.”
“We are entering a new era of politics in New Jersey. We don’t know exactly what it’s going to look like yet, but I’m going to play a very serious role and try to shape it,” he said.
GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.
For Nora Corthren, the work goes far beyond organizing events or telling stories. It’s about helping people see themselves in hockey.
As the NHL’s Manager of Content, Audience Development, and Social Impact, Corthren works at the crossroads of storytelling and community engagement, helping shine a spotlight on initiatives that make our game of hockey more welcoming and inclusive. From Pride programming to the Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award and Hockey Fights Cancer, her role focuses on highlighting the people and organizations making a difference throughout the hockey world.
Over the past four years, Corthren has witnessed meaningful growth across the sport.
“It really has been wonderful to just see the hockey world continue to grow and develop and become more welcoming and more diverse and more inclusive,” she said.
Much of that progress comes from grassroots organizations working to create safe and welcoming spaces for players and fans from all backgrounds. Corthren’s job often involves identifying those stories and using the NHL’s platform to amplify them.
“I think it’s something that a lot of people who do the grassroots work of trying to make the game a more inclusive and welcoming space, they don’t do it for the attention,” she said. “They very much do it for the impact.”
That ability to elevate organizations and individuals making a difference has become one of the most rewarding parts of her work.
Among the initiatives closest to Corthren’s heart is the NHL’s continued involvement in Pride celebrations, including the annual New York City Pride March. For years, the league has marched alongside local hockey organizations and teams from across the New York metropolitan area, including the New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Sirens, and New York Rangers.
For Corthren, the importance of that presence cannot be overstated. Seeing the NHL shield, the NHL teams’ logos, and even, yes, NJ Devil, are important parts of representation to a marginalized community.
A notorious mob hitman who once testified against John “Junior” Gotti before cleaning up his life and becoming a councilman in New Jersey has been arrested on extortion and loansharking charges that, if proven, reflect a return to the lifestyle of his youth.
John Alite, 63, was arrested on Friday in New Jersey, where he was sworn in early last year as a councilman in the borough of Englishtown. Released after a court appearance Saturday, Alite is scheduled to return to court for a detention hearing Wednesday.
His attorney, Douglas Anton, responding to an email seeking comment, said he did not want to speak about the case before the next court appearance.
Alite faces multiple counts of extortion, corporate misconduct, loansharking and terroristic threats.
Alite provided loans at exorbitant rates before threatening violence to collect on them, authorities said, citing the discovery in his home of metal knuckles, an expandable baton, six baseball bats and about two dozen knives, including switchblades.
The baseball bats, authorities said, included one stored near his home’s front door and five more in a kitchen storage bench.
An officer of the New Jersey State Police, an investigative arm of the attorney general’s office, said in court papers that it appeared that the weapons found in Alite’s residence were intended for use in collecting debts.
According to court papers, Alite had threatened one person he had lent money to, saying he would strike him across the head with a baseball bat if he didn’t meet his demands.
Alite also had bragged that he had in the past endeavored to “gut” people like “fish,” the court papers said.
In a release, prosecutors said Alite carried out crimes in part through his corporation, Straightened-Out Entertainment Inc.
They said he illegally obtained property and money from his victims by threats of violence in ways that reflected his 2009 testimony at a Gotti trial that ended with a deadlocked jury.
Alite told a Manhattan federal court jury that he killed a childhood friend to earn respect from fellow mobsters.
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The Garden State set a record for monthly iGaming revenue in May. Read how much for the biggest month ever in New Jersey iGaming.
New Jersey online casinos have been going strong all year, but May 2026 was especially notable. The Garden State’s iGaming market earned a record-breaking $276.3 million last month. This amount eclipsed the previous record of $273.2 million set in December 2025.
NJ online casino revenue for May 2026: $276.3 million
The $276.3 million earned in May 2026 represents an 11.9% year-over-year (YoY) increase from May 2025, when NJ online casinos earned $246.8 million.
This was yet another strong month and double-digit increase for New Jersey iGaming. The state had an identical 11.9% YoY uptick last month, when iCasinos made $263.1 million.
Year-to-date earnings for New Jersey gaming sites are $1.32 billion through May 2026. That’s up 14.4% compared to the same time period last year, when New Jersey had $1.16 billion through May 2025.
Golden Nugget enjoyed the strongest month
According to the May 2026 New Jersey iGaming revenue report, the Golden Nugget brand led all NJ iCasinos with $86.45 million. Of the three online casinos operating under Golden Nugget’s license, FanDuel made the most with $63.24 million from casino games online. BetRivers and Golden Nugget Online earned $12.43 million and $10.79 million, respectively.
Resorts Casino Hotel had the second-best month with $53.89 million. It doesn’t break down revenue by each online casino. But DraftKings is the biggest operator on this license on account of its progressive jackpot slots.
Retail casinos stay flat
Last month, brick-and-mortar casinos joined in the party with an 11.7% YoY increase. This month was a different story. New Jersey land-based casinos made $265.6 million in May 2026, just a 0.1% increase over the $256.3 million made the previous May.
The Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa had the best month among NJ retail casinos, earning $72.9 million. Hard Rock Atlantic City also had a solid month with $49.9 million, while Ocean Resorts rounded out the top three with $46.8 million.
Sports betting sees a big revenue decrease
In April 2026, sports betting had the largest growth out of New Jersey gambling verticals with a 12.8% YoY increase. However, May 2026 was a different story since NJ bookmakers earned $85.2 million—a 16.9% decrease from the $102.5 million made in the previous May.
The Garden State isn’t an outlier here since other states, like New York and Pennsylvania, also struggled with sports gambling revenue last month. US sportsbooks largely saw a smaller hold in May 2026 and are also dealing with increased competition from prediction markets.
iGaming continues to lead the way
Total gaming revenue for the state was $627.1 million in May 2026, representing a 2.0% YoY increase from the $614.7 million made in the previous May.
iGaming definitely looks to carry the torch moving forward. Many gambling operators are banking on real-money online slots to boost their revenue, while retail casinos and sports betting are currently struggling.
Responsible gambling
Legal US online casinos promote responsible play by allowing players to limit losses, sessions, wagers, and logins. They also offer timeout options for account breaks lasting days to weeks. Self-exclusion is a long-term option that shuts off access to an account for months or years.
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