New Jersey Republican: Voters Got a ‘Bait and Switch’ with Democrat Andy Kim

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 15: Rep. Andy Kim (D-NJ) speaks during a rally and news conference ah
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Sean Moran

New Jersey Third Congressional District Republican candidate Kate Gibbs said Monday that freshman swing district Rep. Andy Kim (D-NJ) has pulled a “bait and switch” on New Jersey voters.

Kate Gibbs — who the Philadelphia Inquirer labeled as the early “front-runner” for the third district Republican nomination in New Jersey — claimed that Kim has fooled New Jersey by saying he is a moderate Democrat.

Kim was one of the many freshmen swing district Democrats who backed both articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump, charging Trump with abusing the office of the presidency and obstructing Congress.

“Andy Kim pretends to be a moderate. This is not what people voted for. They feel they got a bait and switch,” Gibbs said.

The New Jersey Democrat said that he voted for the articles of impeachment against Trump to protect the sanctity of the office of the presidency.

“This commander-in-chief position is one that I hold so sacred. The trust and the faith the American people put into [it] can’t be shaken,” said Kim, a former national security aide under former President Barack Obama.

Kim defeated incumbent Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-NJ), who helped pass an Obamacare repeal package through the House during Trump’s first term, by less than four thousand votes during the 2018 midterm elections.

Kim represents one of the 13 congressional districts that Trump won by more than six percent during the 2016 presidential election and that Democrats flipped during the 2018 midterm elections.

Republicans view New Jersey’s Third Congressional District as a key battleground district that could help them regain the House majority in 2020. Former Republican Gov. Chris Christie said recently, “If Republicans win three seats in New Jersey, it’s going to be a Republican House. I think impeachment is a large part of it.”
The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Kim won the district through a strong grassroots network and Democrat anger over MacArthur’s work to help pass an Obamacare repeal package through the House. Some progressives believe that with MacArthur out of office, it will make it harder to motivate the Democrat base in 2020.
Jessica Dunlap, a progressive activist who helped out the Kim campaign, said:
It might be harder for Andy Kim to get reelected this year. Tom MacArthur posed a pretty big threat with the [Obamacare] repeal. I know that was a big motivator for people. The Republicans who are undecided, who voted for Andy Kim against Tom MacArthur, aren’t voting against [MacArthur] this year.
Trump will also host his first campaign rally in New Jersey on January 28, which could help spur Republican voter interest in the 2020 congressional elections. Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ), a former Democrat, said Sunday that roughly 100,000 people bought tickets for the upcoming Trump rally.
Gibbs — a former Burlington County, New Jersey, freeholder and labor union member — said that she gain enough support in the Democrat-leaning Burlington County as well as Republican-leaning Ocean County to flip the district for Republicans.
 She said, “You have kind of a tale of two districts. In order to win, you have to do well in Burlington. I can perform well enough in Burlington.”

Sean Moran is a congressional reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.

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