New Jersey state Rep. Herb Conaway emerged victorious in the closely contested Democratic primary to succeed Rep. Andy Kim (D-NJ), who vacated his secure Democratic seat to pursue a bid for the U.S. Senate.
Conaway secured the race for New Jersey’s 3rd Congressional District with 47.9% of the vote, with approximately 26% of ballots counted. The Associated Press declared Conaway the winner at 9:22 p.m. Eastern.
Conaway competed against a crowded field of Democrats aiming to succeed Kim in the lower chamber next year. Among his opponents were fellow state Rep. Carol Murphy and civil rights attorney Joe Cohn.
Kim’s seat became available earlier this year when he announced his intention to run for the Senate seat currently occupied by Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ). Menendez is foregoing reelection as the Democratic nominee due to facing criminal charges.
Menendez was indicted on allegations that he accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes “to use his official position to protect and enrich them and to benefit the Government of Egypt,” according to the charges. He has consistently denied any wrongdoing and has since announced his intention to run as an independent, setting up a showdown with Kim in November.
The race is expected to favor Conaway, as the district is rated D+5 by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.
