Kim Wins In NJ's 3rd Congressional District: AP

With an unofficial lead of more than 34,000 votes, incumbent Democrat Andy Kim has defeated Republican David Richter in the race to represent New Jersey's 3rd Congressional District, the Associated Press said.

Kim, 38, was seeking his second term in the House of Representatives seat that represents parts of Ocean and Burlington counties. Richter, 54, and two independents — Martin Weber, 56, and Robert Shapiro — were hoping to unseat him.

Unofficial tallies in Ocean County with 235 of 236 districts reporting had Richter with 82,944 votes to 63,544 votes for Kim. Burlington County's unofficial early count had Kim with 109,465 and Richter with 55,151, giving Kim a 173,009 to 138,095 lead.

Burlington County officials suspended their counting at 11 p.m. Tuesday, to continue Wednesday morning. Ocean County updated its results just before midnight, but it was unclear when they would halt counting for the night.

Under New Jersey's mail-in voting for the 2020 election, mail-in ballots that were postmarked by 8 p.m. Tuesday must be counted as long as they reach the Board of Elections by 8 p.m. on Nov. 10. How many ballots remain to be counted is unknown.

The result is much faster than in 2018, when Tom MacArthur conceded the race to Kim eight days after Election Day. Kim won by fewer than 4,000 votes to become the first Democrat to hold the seat since 2011.

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Neither campaign commented early Wednesday on the Associated Press declaration.

Before the polls closed Tuesday Richter's campaign spokesman, Tom Bonforti, said they had expected the race to be close "but we expect to win."

Kim, during a rally at his campaign office in Willingboro, was hoping for a clear victory in 2020, after the close win in 2018.

"It’s not about squeaking across the finish line," Kim said. "It’s about winning so decisively that we send a message. It’s about fighting for the people, and I’m in it for the community."

Polls heading into Election Day labeled the Kim-Richter race as close, in part a reflection of the district's voter makeup. Ocean County leans heavily Republican; registered Republicans outnumber registered Democrats by more than 60,000 voters in 2020. In 2018 MacArthur received 60.88 percent of the Ocean County vote to 37.02 for Kim. Burlington County leans Democratic, with about 46,000 more registered Democrats than registered Republicans in 2020. In 2018, Kim received 59.33 percent to 39.93 percent for MacArthur.

In the July primaries, nearly 50 percent of registered Democrats in the Burlington County part of the district came out to vote for Kim in spite of the fact that he was running unopposed. The GOP primary between Richter and Gibbs drew just under 40 percent of the registered Republicans in the Burlington portion of the district.

The Real Clear Politics poll rated it a toss-up, while the Cook Report moved it from the leaning Democratic to likely Democratic category on Monday.

Republicans were hoping to flip the seat back to the Republican column in an effort to win back control of the House, but advertising spending in the district by the Republican National Committee and Republican political action committees was limited.

Democrats took control of the House in 2018 after flipping 41 seats, including Kim's, a feat in a district that had been represented by Republicans since 2011. The Democratic National Committee and Democratic political action committees spent heavily in support of Kim in September in particular.

Richter was hoping support for President Donald Trump would bolster his chances.

Trump received 64.71 percent of the vote in Ocean County in 2016, and MacArthur received 67.70 percent over Democrat Fredrick LaVergne. Trump remains very popular in Ocean County, and received 61.71 percent of the vote in 2020.

For full coverage of the 2020 election in New Jersey, go here: New Jersey Elections 2020

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