New Jersey Senate candidate Andy Kim says he has ‘concerns’ about Biden

Rep. Andy Kim (D-N.J.), who is running for Senate, said he has “concerns” about President Biden’s ability to be the Democratic Party’s nominee in this presidential election.

“I do have concerns,” Kim told the New Jersey Globe. “If [Biden’s team] want to rebut some of what people are concerned about, that’s on them. But dismissing it would not be right.”

“People have concerns — I mean, this is the presidency of the United States,” he continued. “So I think it’s very important to be upfront and honest about where things are.”

Kim’s comments follow a Tuesday morning meeting among Democrats where Biden’s political future was discussed.

Nearly two weeks after his poor debate performance, questions remain about both Biden’s ability to beat former President Trump in the election and his ability to serve another four years if reelected.

In a statement to The Hill, Kim said he refuses to accept that his children will grow up in another Trump presidency.

“As a Democrat that won a district that Trump won twice, I truly believe we can stop this from happening,” he said.

Kim told the Globe that he was still “thinking this through” and did not make any definitive statement about whether Biden should step aside.

“I don’t think it’s a problem for us to think through this and be absolutely thorough in terms of what this last stretch of the campaign could look like … There’s enough time that if there needs to be a switch, I think that could be done,” he said.

Democrats emerged from the meeting Tuesday with opinions that pointed toward keeping Biden on top of the ticket.

Still, some of the loudest voices in favor of the president stepping aside say they’re worried he will not only lose the presidency but also cost elections for other Democrats on the ballot.

Kim expressed a similar sentiment to The Hill.

“While I continue to listen to the concerns of my constituents and colleagues about how best to win the White House, I know we must do everything in our power to restore trust in government to keep NJ’s Senate seat blue, and win back the House to stop the Republicans’ extreme agenda,” he said.

Kim’s Republican challenger in the Senate race, Curtis Bashaw, said he thinks the sitting congressman should take a more definitive stance on Biden’s candidacy.

“It’s a simple question,” Bashaw posted online, tagging Kim. “New Jerseyans deserve an answer.”

According to The Hill/Decision Desk HQ, Kim has a 96 percent chance of winning the Senate race this fall.

Four of Kim’s Democratic New Jersey colleagues have publicly backed Biden, including Reps. Rob Menendez, Bonnie Watson Coleman, Bill Pascrell and Donald Norcross, the outlet reported.

The Senate candidate acknowledged that the decision to step aside ultimately comes down to Biden, who has insisted he is not dropping out.

“I recognize no one here fully controls what happens next, but I hope that me and my colleagues can really think this through and figure out how it is that we’re going to win,” Kim told the Globe.

—Yash Roy contributed. Updated at 5:51 p.m.