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.

Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.

* In Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate race, Republican Dave McCormick has already declared victory, but as The Philadelphia Inquirer reported, he has also filed a pair of lawsuits “challenging 15,000 to 20,000 provisional ballots that city elections officials were set to consider counting this morning.” (NBC News has not yet called this race.)

* We’ve known for a few days that Donald Trump appeared on track to win Nevada, and NBC News has now called the race in the state. It’s the first time in 20 years that Nevada has backed the Republican ticket.

* In one of the nation’s most closely watched U.S. House races, Democrat Eugene Vindman has won a highly competitive congressional race in Virginia. Vindman is perhaps best known to national audiences for his role in Trump’s first impeachment scandal.

* Speaking of closely watched U.S. House races, Republican Rep. Scott Perry managed to hang on in Pennsylvania, despite his right-wing record.

* On Capitol Hill, the race to replace Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell remains competitive, and newly re-elected Sen. Rick Scott of Florida is hoping Trump will intervene on his behalf.

* In related news, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott has officially launched his bid to chair the National Republican Senatorial Committee in the next Congress. At least for now, Scott has no rivals.

* And while Democrats suffered important losses in Pennsylvania this year, it also appears that the party has managed to hang on to a narrow majority in the state House. The Republican majority in the state Senate, however, remains intact.

Head to the Pawtucket brewery this Saturday night to watch the local football club compete in its second playoff game.

Rhode Island FC (RIFC) made it to the playoffs in its first season and after winning against Indianapolis’s Indy Eleven last weekend, they’re taking on their next opponent in the club’s second playoff game this Saturday. RIFC will compete against the number one team in the league, Louisville City FC, on the opposing team’s home turf. 

You can watch the two teams go head-to-head at the Guild in Pawtucket Saturday night for a special watch party event, featuring the brewery’s RIFC Pale Ale — “The Official Craft Beer of Rhode Island FC” — an American-style pale ale that was created especially for the local team by the Guild Brewing Company. 

Courtesy of RIFC/The Guild

It’s sure to be a close one, with both teams performing similarly well — both RIFC and Louisville have not lost in seven matches since late September, and Louisville leads the league with a 24W-6L-4D record, which rivals RIFC’s 12W-15D-7L regular season record. Even though RIFC has a weaker record than Louisville, they’re the only club in the USL Championship that Louisville failed to beat in multiple meetings this season. 

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If you want to watch the match with fellow RIFC fans, be sure to head over to the Guild this Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. And if you can’t make it to the Pawtucket brewery, the match will also be streamed live at breweries and sports pubs across the Ocean State, like the Providence Brewing Company, Moniker Brewery, Troop PVD, The Thirsty Beaver Hometown Pub & Grub in North Kingstown and Smithfield, Newport Craft Brewing in Newport, Providence G Pub and Picos Restaurant and Lounge in Pawtucket. 

To learn more about RIFC or to get 2025 season tickets, head to rhodeislandfc.com. 

 

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