Pennsylvania’s John Fetterman endorses Democrat Andy Kim in New Jersey Senate race

U.S. Rep. Andy Kim’s campaign for Senate just got a boost from his colleagues across the river in Pennsylvania.

Sen. John Fetterman, who has been the leading critic of New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez’s decision to remain on the job while facing federal bribery charges, endorsed Kim in the Democratic primary race for Menendez’s seat on Thursday.

The Pennsylvania Democrat is the first senator to endorse in the heated primary. Menendez, who has maintained his innocence, has not said whether he’ll seek reelection.

“Congressman Andy Kim is a man of integrity and deep honor,” Fetterman said in a statement Thursday. “We’ve seen that in his leadership — in the Obama administration and in Congress. We saw it when he rolled up his sleeves to clean up our Capitol after the January 6th insurrection. And we’re seeing it, now, taking on powerful political bosses as he fights to restore integrity to the Senate.”

Also on Thursday, six Pennsylvania Democratic members of the U.S. House endorsed Kim — Reps. Brendan Boyle, Dwight Evans, Chrissy Houlahan, Madeleine Dean, Mary Gay Scanlon, and Susan Wild.

Kim’s district encompasses Philadelphia’s eastern suburbs in southern and central New Jersey.

“I’m really grateful for the support from my colleagues in Pennsylvania and the Philly area,” Kim said in an interview. “Many strongly indicated they wanted to say something because I think they recognize the fight that I’m in and the challenges that I’m having in New Jersey right now that are unprecedented.”

The Democratic primary is shaping up to be a test of whether New Jersey’s county chairs will maintain their grip on traditionally determining who wins elections in the state.

The Pennsylvania backing comes three months after Kim’s opponent, New Jersey first lady Tammy Murphy, received the endorsements of most of the New Jersey Democratic Congressional delegation. She also has the backing of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who held a fundraiser for her in December. An internal poll from Kim’s campaign showed him with a double-digit lead on Murphy in December.

Kim announced his run the day after Menendez was indicted on corruption charges in September. He said then that Menendez’s refusal to step down pushed him to run.

Fetterman, who has called repeatedly on Senate colleagues to oust Menendez, used his endorsement as another opportunity to criticize the sitting senator, who is accused of acting as a foreign agent and accepting tens of thousands of dollars in bribes.

“I am incredibly proud to endorse Andy Kim for Senate. And I feel very secure knowing that he has no gold bars underneath his mattress and won’t ever be accused of being a foreign agent for Egypt or Qatar,” Fetterman said.

Murphy, who has never run for office, has lined up substantial support among powerful Democrats in the state. She has been a prolific fundraiser for Democratic candidates, though she was previously registered Republican and voted in Republican primaries as recently as 2014.

Fetterman said in an interview with The New York Times that Murphy’s past association with the Republican Party gave him pause.

“One of the most important things is that we have a reliable Democratic vote,” Fetterman said. “We have to run this table in ‘24 in order to maintain the majority. But we need to count on every Democratic vote. Andy Kim is the kind of guy we can count on.”

And he added a jab, saying while he was sure Murphy was “a lovely woman,” ... ”the last time I had to deal with a Republican from New Jersey, that was my own race.”

Fetterman beat celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz, who is from New Jersey, in the 2022 Senate race in Pennsylvania.

Murphy’s campaign did not respond directly to the endorsements, but campaign spokesperson Alex Altman said Murphy “is the only candidate in this race with the strength, resolve, and experience to stand up for key Democratic values in D.C.” Altman said Murphy “looks forward to continuing her travels up and down the state meeting New Jerseyans.”

Thursday’s endorsements for Kim are a strong showing of his Democratic support among Pennsylvania colleagues in D.C. who might help him with messaging or fundraising, though none can vote for him.

Still, Kim said he saw the backing from Pennsylvania colleagues as a recognition of problems with how New Jersey Democrats have long run elections. He’s centered his campaign on challenging the Democratic power center and painting Murphy as part of the state’s establishment.

“Never before have we had the spouse of a sitting governor run for a high office having not run for office before, and I think my colleagues have seen some of the dynamics there, which, I’ll be honest, are frustrating in terms of just not feeling like I’m not given a fair shot and not feeling like I’m being treated with the kind of fairness that our democracy should demand.”

Kim also cited a New York Times report last week in which a college student who was in contact with Murphy’s campaign tried to pressure New Jersey college Democrats to back Murphy instead of Kim.

Altman, Murphy’s campaign spokeswoman, told the Times that the woman’s comments were “totally and completely inappropriate, and they in no way represent this campaign or what we stand for.”

Kim said the incident, “shows the brokenness of New Jersey politics. It’s not just about the indictment of Menendez but recognition there’s a deeper systemic problem. I’m grateful my colleagues across the river see that and wanted to have my back.”