AP Photo/Alex Brandon
- Rep. Andy Kim announced that he's launching a primary challenge to Sen. Bob Menendez.
- Menendez was indicted on bribery charges last week.
- Menendez, who has been in the Senate since 2006, said he planned to stay in office.
After being one of the first New Jersey Democrats to call on Sen. Bob Menendez to resign following his indictment on federal bribery charges, Rep. Andy Kim on Saturday announced that he'll run against the senator in a 2024 primary.
"After calls to resign, Senator Menendez said 'I am not going anywhere.' As a result, I feel compelled to run against him," Kim wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. "Not something I expected to do, but NJ deserves better. We cannot jeopardize the Senate or compromise our integrity."
—Andy Kim (@AndyKimNJ) September 23, 2023
Menendez on Friday was indicted on bribery charges. It is the second time he has faced federal corruption charges as a member of the upper chamber.
Per the indictment, federal agents executed search warrants on the Menendez home last year, where they discovered the "fruits" of an agreement that senator and his wife, Nadine, had allegedly put together with a trio of New Jersey businessmen.
The agreement included more than $480,000 in cash that was "stuffed into envelopes and hidden in clothing, closets, and a safe," the indictment alleged.
The veteran Democratic lawmaker temporarily stepped down from his position as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, but he has insisted he is "not going anywhere" and will remain in office.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on Friday called on Menendez to resign, along with fellow Garden State lawmakers including Reps. Mikie Sherrill, Bill Pascrell, Frank Pallone Jr., Josh Gottheimer, and Donald Norcross.
Kim was first elected to office in 2018, flipping a politically competitive suburban district anchored in South Jersey — not far from Philadelphia.
The congressman gained national prominence on January 6, 2021, after he was seen picking up trash after pro-Trump rioters stormed the Capitol and left trash and debris across some of the most sacred spaces in the complex.
This story has been updated.