Kim Leads Richter: NJ 3rd Congressional District Election Results

This article was updated at 11:50 p.m.

Ballots are continuing to be counted in the 2020 general election, but as of 11:45 p.m., incumbent Democrat Andy Kim was holding a lead of more than 34,000 votes over Republican David Richter in the race to represent New Jersey's 3rd Congressional District.

Kim, 38, is 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 — are 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.

While voters — and the candidates — are hoping for a quick outcome, it seems more likely that the declaration of a winner could be a few days away. It was eight days after Election Day in 2018 before Tom MacArthur, who trailed by fewer than 4,000 votes, conceded the race to Kim, who became the first Democrat to hold the seat since 2011.

With the election being conducted by mail-in balloting, the county Board of Elections has to accept mail-in ballots that were postmarked by 8 p.m. Tuesday until 8 p.m. Nov. 10. Ocean County officials said additional results "will be posted on a periodic basis." It was not clear how many votes remain to be counted.

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Both the Kim and Richter campaigns acknowledged it is unlikely they will see a result on Election Night.

"Because of the governor’s mandate for a vote-by-mail election and because we expect this race to be close, we expect the outcome may not be known for weeks," said Tom Bonforti, spokesman for the Richter campaign. "We think it will be a close race, but we expect to win."

"Congressman Kim is focused on seeing out the election and will work to ensure everyone can have their voice heard and vote counted," said Andrew Mamo, spokesman for the Kim campaign.

In Willingboro Tuesday, Gov. Phil Murphy joined Kim for a rally at Kim’s campaign office before Kim’s volunteers went out to encourage registered voters who had not yet voted to go vote. Murphy said the election was about finding common ground and leaving behind partisan rhetoric, which is what Kim will do, he said.

"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 wildcard is unaffiliated voters. In Ocean County, unaffliated voters outnumber registered Republicans by 15,000, making them the largest group. The number of unaffiliated voters in Burlington County is about 20,000 fewer than registered Democrats.

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 are 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 is hoping support for President Donald Trump will bolster his chances.

"We have a president to re-elect," Richter said during the New Jersey Globe debate with Kim on Oct. 4. "Controlling the House could turn on this race."

Kim is hoping Richter's support for Trump will weigh against Richter. He highlighted Richter's support of Trump's nomination of Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett and concerns about the future of the Affordable Care Act, protections for pre-existing conditions and the potential for overturning Roe vs. Wade.

"Trump said that’s what he wanted," Kim said, referring to overturning Roe v. Wade. "This is exactly the intent."

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. Burlington County has been skewing more and more toward the Democrats over the last few years.

Richter has been tying Kim to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and to the more outspoken and more progressive members of the Democratic House membership, in hopes that negative opinions of the progressive movement will drag down Kim's support.

"He's not a moderate," Richter said of Kim during the debates.

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

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