RANDOLPH – Andy Kim likes to say he’s been elected in a district – the 3rd – that also voted for Donald Trump.

That is quite the dichotomy, but Kim’s point is more than mere trivia. It suggests that he – now-Senate candidate Kim – has cross-section appeal.

At a Democratic event Wednesday evening at County College of Morris, Kim said he hopes that people see him as a person trying to “address the issues we are facing.”

This is key to any campaign – getting beyond ideology and appealing to common sense.

It’s also quite important in the battle at hand – the U.S. Senate contest between Kim, a House member for six years, and Republican Curtis Bashaw, a Cape May hotel operator.

A central argument of Bashaw’s campaign is that Kim represents the “far out” liberal wing of the Democratic party.

That’s something Kim wants to counter, and his win in a district that also backed Trump is meant to do just that. (One, of course, is left to wonder what would possess a voter to support both Trump and Kim, but that’s a story for another day).

Wednesday’s event was officially for the three Democratic commission candidates in Morris County – Jonathan Sackett, Justin Strickland and Bud Ravitz. They are trying to make history – win a county commission seat as Democrats in Morris for the first time since 1973.

But Kim was definitely the headliner.

He began by saying most people in New Jersey have a low opinion of politicians. In fact, he said many think politicians are “crooks.”

This certainly hits home. Kim and Bashaw are vying to replace the convicted Bob Menendez in the Senate.

One way to fight that is by offering honest representation. Sounds simple, no?

Beyond that, Kim talked about legislation he backs to ban stock trading by members of Congress. Far too often, he said, he sees House members who own stock in companies that do business with the government.

No Democratic event is complete without  talk of reproductive rights.

Kim asked, what does freedom really mean if a woman can not make her own decision regarding her body and health?

He noted that the only way to restore abortion rights nationwide is to support Democrats.

Kim, a one time State Department diplomat, took an audience question about foreign policy. He criticized trends to neo-isolationism, adding that it’s important for the U.S. to remain strong – and not just militarily.

To that end, Kim praised such things as the bipartisan infrastructure bill and the Chips Act, which supports manufacturing microchips in the U.S.

Relative to his winning in a Trump district, Kim also talked about a town hall he had in a Republican part of the district. He said there were tough questions and some tension in the room.

But afterwards, a man came up to him and said he had not voted for him. But he also told Kim he was glad to have attended the town hall and to have heard the congressman speak.

It is that type of connection Kim clearly wants to establish throughout New Jersey.