Andy Kim Shows Readiness to Bring Change in Third and Final Debate for U.S. Senate

EDISON N.J. – Tonight, Congressman Andy Kim showed a readiness to bring change for New Jersey families in his third and final debate for the U.S. Senate, delivering a new generation of leadership to tackle challenges from lowering costs to restoring reproductive freedoms to combating corruption and tackling big money in politics. The debate aired on News 12 New Jersey and was moderated by News 12’s Erik Landskroner.

“New Jersey families are facing incredible challenges, and they deserve someone who will fight for them, not just the well-off and well-connected,” said Congressman Andy Kim. “The next four to five years will determine the next four to five decades of this country, and tonight’s debate showed that the decisions voters make in these next fourteen days will truly shape the next generation. It’s up to us to energize voters in these final weeks so Democrats up and down the ballot can deliver on the issues and create a brighter future for our state.”

See Below for Highlights:

Andy Kim’s Opening Statement:

https://x.com/TeamAndyHQ/status/1848881146006016264

“It's a humbling experience being able to step up to run for the U.S. Senate. I know I'm not the central casting of what many think a senator looks like, but I'm a public school kid, a son of immigrants. I'm not from a wealthy, well-connected family. But I believe in a politics for everybody, a politics that is not an exclusive club.

And I've tried to step up to represent everybody. I listen to people about the challenges that they're facing. Veterans in Ocean County telling me about the poor quality of health care that they're able to get, that they're not getting all of the services that they need. And I was able to help work in a bipartisan way to deliver a brand new $60 million dollar, state of the art VA health clinic in Ocean County that is going to open its doors today to the very first Veterans to be able to serve. That's the kind of results that you deserve. You deserve not performance, not theater. You deserve results. And that's the kind of senator I'll be for New Jersey. Thank you.”

Andy Kim on the SALT cap:

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“I know this is so important to so many New Jersey families right now. So I want to tell you directly, this is very high on my list to make sure that we are tackling the SALT tax cap and the squeeze that it's been putting on so many families here. And let's remember why we're in this problem to start with. That we have former President Trump who put forward this tax cap on New Jersey residents, something that was in a direct attack upon us and a number of other states. He made it very clear why he was doing this - for political purposes. Not only that, where were the resources then going? [Donald Trump] was giving huge tax breaks to the biggest corporations and the wealthiest Americans. And that's not the priority that New Jersey families want. And that's why I disagree with my opponent Mr. Bashaw here, someone who supports strongly Donald Trump, supports [Trump’s] agenda…someone who supported the President that put us in this position to start with. And I think it's important for us to recognize that.”

So, yes, I want to make sure that we're addressing this. And I've been pressing [House] Speaker Mike Johnson to be able to bring this to a vote, allow us to be able to move forward. And we can have sensible tax policies here that are supporting our middle class, supporting those that need support, while making sure the biggest businesses and the wealthiest people in this country, they pay their fair share.”

Andy Kim on the need to fix New Jersey Transit:

https://x.com/TeamAndyHQ/status/1848887824214311151

“The people of New Jersey deserve reliable transit. To be able to know that they can get to work on time, that they can get home to their families on time. I remember earlier this summer, I was up in New York coming back down into New Jersey, and I got stuck at Penn Station for hours because all the trains were canceled, and was uncertain how I was going to get home in time to be able to get my kids to bed. And these are challenges that people are facing, and it is absolutely inexcusable.

Which is why we want to make sure that we have that plan going forward, which is what we've been demanding with this bipartisan infrastructure law that we were able to pass. Be able to bring back hundreds of millions of dollars to upgrade our systems. To be able to make sure that we don't have these problems going forward. To be able to bring together Amtrak and NJ Transit. To be able to show how it is that we can have a path going forward; who is going to be accountable for which part of these problems. And that's what we've been sorting out this summer, because we cannot allow this to happen again. So many families have been struggling, especially in New Jersey where our transit, our infrastructure is our lifeblood.”

Andy Kim’s stance on America’s global leadership:

https://x.com/TeamAndyHQ/status/1848890694384902520

“America can and should continue to be a force for good, a force for democracy, a force for human rights all around the world. And that is something that strengthens us. When we invest in the Chips and Science Act, invest in our own capabilities and innovation. But we can also build out coalitions with other countries around the world that strengthen us. Be able to help us better compete with China and other competitors around the world. And that affects our economy back home. It is something that affects our jobs back home.

I want us to be able to continue to be strong in that kind of capacity and when we see the dangers of what former President Trump has been pushing forward on the global stage…his America first approach, very much showing that it's America only. And I think that's only going to further isolate us. And I think the people of America understand how dangerous that would be and how much that will hurt our economy.”

Andy Kim on Curtis Bashaw’s Flip Flop on Dobbs and Reproductive Rights:

https://x.com/TeamAndyHQ/status/1848897617721188559

“I'm essentially running against two different Curtis Bashaw's. I am running against a primary election Curtis Bashaw that said that he believes that the Dobbs decision was right, it should go back to the states. He in May, in an interview, said that the federal level is absolutely the wrong place to adjudicate the issue when it comes to abortion. And then now he got through the primary election, got past the Republican primary, and now is taking on a very different tone. Now saying he supports federal efforts to be able to do this, when just a few months ago he specifically said it's the worst place to adjudicate the issues when it comes to abortion. So, you know, this is the problem is we don't know what to believe. And when we see the situation, what we see is just issues of opportunism rather than actual values here.

I believe that the Constitution affords women's reproductive rights as a right in this country. The Dobbs decision, specifically on page one, said the Constitution does not confer rights on an abortion. I think that that is a very clear distinction between us. I will fight for [reproductive rights]. I will make sure we're engaged on this, make it a top priority. And what we do know is that if Mr. Bashaw is in the Senate, then having put forward a Republican Senate majority…that majority will absolutely, absolutely block any effort to try to codify women's reproductive rights in this country. And that's what's at stake in this election.”

Andy Kim’s Commitment to Continue Working to Restore Integrity to Public Service:

https://x.com/TeamAndyHQ/status/1848899819026194513

“You know, probably the most popular piece of legislation I introduced as a Member of Congress is legislation that would ban Members of Congress from owning and trading individual stocks.

Making sure we stop the conflicts of interest, the insider trading. You know, being able to make sure we're taking these steps forward. And that is something that is going to be at the crux of what I do in the U.S. Senate to be able to fix New Jersey, fix our country, move us in a new era.”

Andy Kim on Student Loan Debt and Making Education More Affordable:

https://x.com/TeamAndyHQ/status/1848902821476958437

“Young students right now in a community, they're facing so many challenges. I talked to a young man up in North Jersey who said that he doesn't know if he's ever going to be able to afford a house because of the high student loans and the high cost of living, the challenges that are there. So I understand that. We absolutely need to make sure we're taking strong efforts to be able to make education what it's always meant to be, which is about opportunity. It is the strongest tool that we have for economic mobility in our country. But it’s right now squeezing that and lowering that opportunity when we see the challenges that people are facing with, you know, tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt. I've seen that in my own life. My wife and I, we had to make big decisions about our lives, when to get married, when to have kids, when to buy a house based off of how much student loans we held and whether or not we could afford that. And that's something that, again, is squeezing it. I pushed forward on trying to increase Pell Grants, trying to allow for forgiveness, to be able to help students refinance, to be able to make sure people don't get a student loan for a higher interest rate than a car loan. Those are the steps that we'll try to take.”

Andy Kim’s Closing Statement:

https://x.com/AndyKimNJ/status/1848910297492341050

“This year is 50 years since my parents immigrated from South Korea to the United States. They came here because they wanted to give me and my sister a better life and more opportunities than they had. Now I'm a father. I got a seven year old and a nine year old, two little boys. And I'll be honest with all of you, I see the world right now. I see all the chaos and the crisis internationally, and here at home. And I worry about what kind of America my kids are going to grow up in.

That's why I'm here.That's why I'm trying to do this work. For my kids, for your kids, your grandkids. I believe we are at an inflection point moment for this country. I think we are on an unsustainable trajectory of just toxicity and divisiveness. We have to change. I believe the next 4 to 5 years are going to shape the next 4 to 5 decades, and I want to make sure we come out strong, to be able to help everyone. To be able to show that our country isn't just for the well-off, the well-connected, that all families can be able to survive and thrive here.”

So that's what this effort is about. I did not plan to run for Senate. I'm not somebody who ever dreamed of running for office when I was a kid. But I feel a calling to serve, to be able to serve this country that has given my family so much over the last 50 years. But now I think about the next 50 years, which is the bulk of my kids lives. What is that going to look like? And I want to make sure that we are moving forward, taking the steps to be able to change our politics. To show that I'm a Democrat that won a district Trump won twice. I can build a politics that brings us together rather than divides us. To be able to show that we need a new generation of leadership to step up right now, to take things in a better direction, to reignite the sense of public service in this country as we approach the 250th anniversary of this great nation. And I hope people see in me the kind of public servant that is eager to step up and be able to serve the great state of New Jersey and this country through these difficult times. And I would be humbled to earn the vote of the people of New Jersey.”