Andy Kim Decisively Wins First Debate; Proves He is Only Candidate Ready to Deliver for New Jersey Families in the U.S. Senate

NUTLEY N.J. – Tonight, Congressman Andy Kim won the first senatorial debate against Republican opponent Curtis Bashaw, proving he is the only candidate with the necessary readiness needed to step into the Senate and get to work to restore reproductive rights, lower healthcare costs, and improve the lives of New Jersey families. The in-studio debate, which was hosted by New Jersey Globe, On New Jersey, and the Rebovich Institute of New Jersey Politics at Rider University, offered a clear contrast to voters of New Jersey in terms of who is the best choice to fight for their needs.

“I jumped into this race over a year ago to give the people of New Jersey a choice for a new kind of politics, but we also must not forget what is at stake in this year’s election,” said Congressman Andy Kim. “This November is more than just who New Jersey voters want representing them in the Senate. It’s about who New Jersey families trust to protect their kids and grandkids from gun violence in school, who they trust to make sure seniors can afford life-saving medicine, and who they trust to fight to bring back crucial rights for the women and girls of this country. The stakes this year cannot be overstated and I’m ready to finish this race strong to make sure Democrats win up and down the ballot.”

Here’s what happened tonight: 

Andy Kim Opening Statement: https://x.com/TeamAndyHQ/status/1843088784667369801

“…50 years ago, my parents immigrated from South Korea to the United States. They didn’t know anybody here in this entire continent, but they did it because they knew that they could give me and my sister a better life and more opportunities than they had. Now I’m a father of a seven-year-old and a nine-year-old, two little boys and all I want for them is the same thing that my parents wanted for me. But when I look at the world right now…the chaos and the crisis out there, I’m worried about what kind of America my kids are growing up in. That’s why I’m here. That’s why I’m running for Senate. 

…I stepped up for Congress six years ago as a Democrat that won a district Trump won twice, to show that we can build a politics that brings us together rather than divides us. And I’ve heard from seniors worried about the high cost of health care, so I passed legislation into law to lower prescription drug costs. Hearing from the Black community, the Hispanic community, others about the high cost of living, high housing, to be able to address these and fundamental ways; to hear the challenges that the LGBTQ community faces when it comes to discrimination. 

What I promise though is that whether you vote for me or not I will be a senator for you and I will serve your family to the best of my ability. I hope to be a senator for all of New Jersey.”

Andy Kim on Making New Jersey Fairer and More Affordable: https://x.com/TeamAndyHQ/status/1843096200284893650

“Well I think right now it comes down to fairness in making sure that people and big corporations are able to pay their fair share. And when we see the challenges that are out there I think that that is something we should be striving for. That’s the opposite of what we saw with President Trump’s tax cuts, you know, being able to give tax cuts to the biggest corporations, millionaires, billionaires; saddling New Jersey with huge problems when it comes to the SALT tax cap. And that’s something that I’ve been working to try to address and we got to make sure we finish the job and not have that SALT cap come back.”

Andy Kim on Protecting Reproductive Freedoms: https://x.com/TeamAndyHQ/status/1843099639551291876

“Women across this country have had their rights revoked by an extremist Supreme Court that has been working hard to try to address this issue in a way that puts so many lives at risk. You know, hearing about Amber in Georgia, who died because of complications when it comes to her abortion and her pregnancy; these are the types of restrictions that we’ve seen that have been clamped down and basically preventing women from being able to make decisions about their own body. So I think fundamentally, our Constitution provides that sense of rights for women, and we see how that has been exploited. And how any type of restriction that way is being weaponized to be able to push forward a very extremist agenda that’s hurting so many women and so many families around this country. So I certainly believe that a woman has a right to choose and make a determination about her own body and her own family.”

Andy Kim Closing Statement: https://x.com/TeamAndyHQ/status/1843113651760410727

“To the people of New Jersey, I hope this gave you a better sense of where we stand on the issues, but I hope it gave you a better sense of who I am and why I’m trying to do this. You know, I never thought that I’d be in politics. I come from a family that never talked about politics at the dining room table. I’m a son of immigrants, a public school kid who never thought that I’d have a shot to be the next senator of my home state. I feel humbled by this opportunity. But what I hope you take away is what I’m trying to do with this… that I’m somebody who deeply, fundamentally believes that Election Day is the starting line not the finish line, and if I have the great honor to be able to to represent this state in the U.S. Senate I want to do it not just with honor and integrity, but be able to take on these big challenges that we face. 

…I’m going to do everything that I humanly can as a father, as someone who grew up here in New Jersey and who has my heart here, to try to make sure that we address this and be able to fix this country that I know all of us believe in. I’ll be certainly humbled for the vote of the people of New Jersey”.