The 2024 United States Senate election in New Jersey was held on November 5, 2024, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the state of New Jersey. Democratic U.S. representative Andy Kim won his first term in office, defeating Republican real estate developer Curtis Bashaw. He succeeded Democrat George Helmy, who served as an interim appointee for the remainder of Bob Menendez's third term. Kim assumed office on December 8, 2024, after his election was certified, in order to give an advantage in seniority.
Menendez, who had represented New Jersey in the Senate since 2006, began to face an uncertain political future after he was indicted for federal corruption charges in 2023, his second such indictment. Amid questions over whether Menendez would seek a fourth term, a contentious Democratic primary took place between Kim and First Lady of New Jersey Tammy Murphy that was marked by allegations of nepotism and party favoritism towards Murphy. In March, Menendez announced he would not seek the Democratic nomination and Murphy withdrew from the race, leaving Kim as the only major Democratic candidate. Menendez filed to run as an independent ahead of the June primaries, but after being convicted of federal corruption the following month, he ended his candidacy and resigned from the Senate.
In the June 4 primary, Kim won the Democratic nomination with 75% of the vote. Bashaw won the Republican nomination with 45% of the vote, defeating Mendham Borough Mayor Christine Serrano Glassner, who was endorsed by then former president Donald Trump and his allies. After the general election, Kim became the first Korean American senator, the first Asian American to represent New Jersey in the Senate, and the first person from South Jersey to represent the state in the Senate since 1955. Kim flipped Gloucester County and narrowly held Passaic County, both of which voted for Trump in the concurrent presidential race. Cumberland County voted Republican in a Senate election for the first time since 1972, and the first time in this seat since 1952.
This was the closest Senate election in the state since 2006.
Democratic primary Background In 2023, incumbent three-term Democrat Bob Menendez was indicted on federal corruption charges that he aided and provided sensitive information to the Egyptian government. Menendez was previously indicted on federal corruption charges in 2015 for bribery, fraud, and making false statements; the charges were dropped in 2018 after the jury was unable to reach a verdict and he was re-elected to a third term the same year. Amid calls from several prominent Democrats to resign, Menendez did not seek the Democratic nomination, but filed to run for re-election as an independent. Menendez was found guilty of federal corruption in July.
Following Menendez's 2023 indictment, two prominent Democrats announced their Senate candidacy: U.S. Representative Andy Kim and First Lady of New Jersey Tammy Murphy. The primary between Murphy and Kim was seen as competitive, as even though Kim led comfortably in polls, Murphy had received significant party support and the county line endorsements in many heavily populated counties along with endorsements from many county party chairs and from New Jersey Democratic Party chair LeRoy J. Jones Jr. Kim, however, had received support from many national and progressive Democrats such as Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman, the College Democrats of America, and the College Democrats of New Jersey. Murphy announced her withdrawal from the race on March 24, citing poor polling.
Allegations of nepotism
Murphy's candidacy had given rise to allegations of cronyism and nepotism due to her being the wife of incumbent Governor Phil Murphy. Critics argued that since her husband is the head of the New Jersey Democratic Party, it would have ensured her victory. These accusations grew after she entered into the race as the chairs of the Hudson, Camden, Bergen, Somerset, Essex, and Middlesex county Democratic organizations endorsed Murphy; these represent 40% of Democratic voters in New Jersey. Candidates in New Jersey who receive the endorsement of county chairs are often placed in a premier position of the primary election ballot, bracketed with other endorsed candidates, called the "party" or "county line." Candidates who are "on the line" typically win the June primary.
Murphy had responded to questions about her qualification for office due to not having been elected to office before and her previously being a registered Republican as being sexist, saying: "I'm not sure a male would be asked this question." At a candidate forum at the County College of Morris in January 2024, Murphy was asked to address the "elephant in the room" about her perceived advantage as the wife of Governor Phil Murphy. She replied that she was "honored and thrilled" to receive endorsements from New Jersey Democrats, who endorsed her "not because my husband asked them, but because I asked them. They know me." She promised to "earn every vote" and to listen to "not only the people who are with me, but both sides, and not just seeing through one lens". A number of members of Congress who had endorsed her also said they endorsed her over Kim because she asked, and because of her work for women's health, children, and seniors.
Endorsement controversies On December 24, 2023, Mountainside Democratic Municipal Chair and former NOW-NJ President Anjali Mehrotra announced that she would support Kim. However, she later retracted this statement, deciding to back Murphy's campaign and criticize Kim's candidacy.
On January 10, 2024, the College Democrats of New Jersey (CDNJ) in conjunction with the College Democrats of America (CDA) endorsed Kim. Four days later, it was revealed that, before the CDNJ announced their endorsement of Kim, they received a call from a college student who serves as the Youth Coordinator for the state party. In the call, the staffer asked the CDNJ to cancel the group's endorsement of Kim, expressing concerns over CDNJ members' future job prospects and funding.
The staffer would later say that while Murphy's campaign had not asked her to pressure the group on their behalf, but had wanted "to do something to prevent the endorsement." Murphy's campaign responded, saying the staffer's comments were "totally and completely inappropriate, and they in no way represent this campaign or what we stand for," and adding that the staffer had no connection to Murphy's campaign. The Murphy campaign also said that all of the students involved in this "unfortunate situation" should be afforded the "grace, allowance and forgiveness that we all deserve at that age." Tammy Murphy, meanwhile, called the College Democrats of New Jersey's vice president to apologize. Kim responded on X (Twitter), saying, in part, "This is why people lose faith in democracy and our system." On January 17, the CDA called on the national Democratic National Committee to open an investigation into what happened between the state party and Murphy's campaign, while reaffirming their support for Kim saying: "We will not be intimidated or silenced by those who seek to undermine our values and our vision for a more just and equitable world."
On February 5, 2024, the Murphy campaign unveiled a large list of endorsements from Monmouth County Democratic officials. However, later that day, multiple people whose names were on the list denied ever having endorsed her, with many still claiming that they were neutral in the race. Despite his neutrality the day before, Bradley Beach Democratic Municipal Chair Steve Lozowick changed course again on February 6, announcing his support for Murphy.
On March 16, 2024, Murphy was endorsed by the Camden County Democratic Committee, having already received the support of powerbroker George Norcross. However, at the committee meeting (which was largely just a formality due to the county's lack of an open convention), candidate Patricia Campos-Medina was denied entry, being physically barred by multiple guards. This incident led to a condemnation by Kim (who had also been denied access after requesting speaking time prior to the event), while Murphy stated that "You'll have to talk to Camden" when asked about the incident. Murphy's response to the incident, along with other alleged concerns, led to Jersey City mayor Steven Fulop pulling his support for Murphy the following day and backing Kim, according to Fulop.
On March 17, 2024, the Hoboken Democrats voted to endorse Kim for Senate. Shortly after, chair Rachel Hodes resigned, stating that she had been receiving pressure since February by officials from both the Murphy and Menendez campaigns, as well as the Hudson County Democratic Organization, to change the Hoboken endorsement process as a way to prevent a Kim endorsement.
County lines Although the practice was recently enjoined by a federal judge in Kim v. Hanlon, New Jersey is alone among the 50 states in authorizing local officials to award a strongly favorable ballot position to favored candidates in a prominent column on the ballot called the "county line." The county line on the ballot had come under heavy criticism during the Senate primary as an allegedly undemocratic result of political machine and political boss power in the state.
Due to this unique preferential-ballot-placement "county line" system in New Jersey, some NJ county parties hold conventions to decide which candidate gains the sought-after county-endorsed ballot position in the June primary, while other counties issue the line by private leadership fiat. The first in the state convention in Monmouth County is often considered a bellwether for other conventions throughout the state, and has been called the "Iowa caucus of the New Jersey Senate race." On February 10, 2024, Kim won the convention in what some described as an upset victory, where it was assumed Murphy would perform better, especially in her home county.
Uniquely among the states, New Jersey law authorizes a county chair of the county political party to make their own sole decision as an individual as to whom to award the line. Nevertheless, excluding Sussex and Salem, which do not award a line but do provide an endorsement, processes vary by custom in each county as detailed in this collapsible table on the primary lines as awarded during county award season: