Kim, Andy

Andy Kim is a junior U.S. senator from New Jersey who serves as ranking member of the National Security and International Trade Finance Subcommittee within the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. As ranking member of the minority party, Kim leads Democratic opposition and priorities on this subcommittee, which oversees the intersection of financial policy and national security matters. He also holds memberships on several other major committees including Commerce, Science, and Transportation; Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs; and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, where he serves as ranking member of the Disaster Management, District of Columbia, and Census Subcommittee.

Kim's background uniquely positions him for these roles. Born in Boston to South Korean immigrant parents, he earned a degree in political science from the University of Chicago and was awarded both a Rhodes Scholarship and a Harry S. Truman Scholarship to study international relations at Oxford. His professional experience includes service as a civilian adviser in Afghanistan under generals David Petraeus and John R. Allen, and later as a national security adviser in the Obama administration. He played a key role in developing the administration's counterterrorism strategy, including the plan to strike ISIS following the Sinjar massacre.

Before his 2024 election to the Senate, Kim represented New Jersey's 3rd congressional district in the House from 2019 to 2024, having defeated incumbent Tom MacArthur in 2018. His Senate campaign centered on challenging the state's traditional county line primary system, which he successfully petitioned to abolish. His 2024 Senate victory made him the first Korean-American and first Asian-American senator from New Jersey. Kim identifies as a progressive Democrat and has sponsored legislation spanning education reform, consumer protection, and civic engagement, including the American Civics Renewal Act.