Congressman Andy Kim won his campaign for the US Senate seat in New Jersey last week—a result that left many GNN fans cheering.
The 42-year-old became a fan favorite for his selfless and humble act caught on film four years ago.
It was 1:00 in the morning following the gruesome attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, when Rep. Kim got down on his knees and began picking up trash left strewn around the building’s rotunda.
Andy had been finally headed home after a late-night vote that certified Joe Biden as winning the presidential election when he saw officers assigned to the grim duty of cleaning up the hallways of his beloved democratic institution.
The three-term congressman who represented central New Jersey, felt a “heightened kind of patriotism” and grabbed a trash bag—still dressed in his suit and tie— to sort through the broken furniture and garbage left by the unruly mob.
At 1am last night, @RepMalinowski and I walked the Capitol to thank staff, police, and guardsmen and women for their service on a horrifying day. In a quiet Rotunda, we found our friend @RepAndyKimNJ alone, on his knees, picking up garbage left by the insurgents.
— Rep. Dean Phillips 🇺🇸 (@RepDeanPhillips) January 7, 2021
📸:@andyharnik pic.twitter.com/AnYj3rSogb
He later donated the blue suit he was wearing in the now-famous photo shot by photojournalist Andrew Harnik to the Smithsonian Institution, which was collecting items from the riot.
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Raised by Korean immigrants in New Jersey, Kim lives with his wife with two sons down the street from his childhood home. Now he’s made history, becoming the first Korean-American to be elected to the US Senate, beating his Republican opponent handily, 53-44% during an election year when most other races were close.
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Kim’s credentials are impressive. Before becoming a US congressman, the Rhodes Scholar was a diplomat, serving as the Iraq director for the National Security Council under Obama, and in a similar role previously with the Pentagon.
When he launched his campaign, Kim vowed to restore trust and integrity in government—and perhaps because of the iconic photo, most voters believed him.
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In his victory speech, Kim said, “I wanted… to pay tribute to my parents, to my family, to the state—for giving a kid like me a chance to be able to dream; for giving me the tools through public education and a kind community.”
And he challenged Americans to contemplate the upcoming 250th anniversary of their country’s independence as “a reminder that the greatness of America is not what we take from this country but what we give back.”
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What an inspiring act of humility and patriotism. Thank you deeply, Congressman Andy Kim!