Underdog candidate Andy Kim wins NJ Senate primary, setting up battle against Bob Menendez

Rep. Andy Kim defeated his rivals in the state's Democratic primary Tuesday night and will face off against Sen. Bob Menendez in November.

Rep. Andy Kim, D-N.J., attends a news conference after a meeting of the House Democratic Caucus in the Capitol Visitor Center on Wednesday, July 13, 2022.  (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

In February, Kim defeated New Jersey first lady Tammy Murphy in the state's first Democratic convention by a large margin – indicating he'd earned significant momentum and ultimately leading Murphy to drop out of the race.

"The energy that we have is real, and it should not be underestimated," Kim said after securing the county-line in Monmouth in February. 

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., has notably backed Kim in the congressman's bid to win the contested primary for New Jersey's Senate seat. 

ANDY KIM SEES 3RD STRAIGHT WIN OVER NEW JERSEY FIRST LADY TAMMY MURPHY IN PRIMARY BATTLE FOR BOB MENENDEZ SEAT

Representative Andy Kim, a Democrat from New Jersey, speaks during an American Federation of Government Employees rally for workers' rights on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Tuesday, March 29, 2022.  (Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

In March, U.S. District Judge Zahid Quraishi granted Kim a preliminary injunction, ordering the use of office block ballots for the June primary.

"The integrity of the democratic process for a primary election is at stake and the remedy Plaintiffs are seeking is extraordinary," Quraishi wrote in his opinion. He added that the plaintiffs "have met their burden and that this is the rare instance when mandatory relief is warranted."

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The court victory, Kim said, was "built from the incredible grassroots work of activists across our state who saw an undemocratic system marginalizing the voices of voters, and worked tirelessly to fix it."

"While fixing this unfair ballot system is a massive step forward towards perfecting our democracy, there is still work to be done. Both in New Jersey and nationwide, we need to regain the trust of the voters we serve," he said in a statement.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Brianna Herlihy is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.

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