Democratic Congressman Andy Kim defeated Republican real estate developer Curtis Bashaw in the general election with about 54 percent of the vote.

Kim succeeded fellow Democrat George Helmy, who served as an interim appointee for the remainder of Bob Menendez's third term.

[4][5] Menendez filed to run as an independent ahead of the June primaries, but after being convicted of federal corruption the following month, he ended his candidacy and resigned from the Senate.

Bashaw won the Republican nomination with 45% of the vote, defeating Mendham Borough Mayor Christine Serrano Glassner, who was endorsed by former president Donald Trump and his allies.

In 2023, incumbent three-term Democrat Bob Menendez was indicted on federal corruption charges that he aided and provided sensitive information to the Egyptian government.

[6] Following Menendez's 2023 indictment, two prominent Democrats announced their Senate candidacy: U.S. Representative Andy Kim and First Lady of New Jersey Tammy Murphy.

[27] Four days later, it was revealed that, before the CDNJ announced their endorsement of Kim, they received a call from a college student who serves as the Youth Coordinator for the state party.

[34] Despite his neutrality the day before, Bradley Beach Democratic Municipal Chair Steve Lozowick changed course again on February 6, announcing his support for Murphy.

However, at the committee meeting (which was largely just a formality due to the county's lack of an open convention), candidate Patricia Campos-Medina was denied entry, being physically barred by multiple guards.

[73] A third deal was attempted on February 25, by Hunterdon County Democratic Chair Arlene Quiñones Perez (recently appointed to the New Jersey Racing Commission by Murphy's husband)[74] where any candidate who received more than 30% of the Hunterdon County convention results would get the line, forcing Kim to share the line despite winning the vote, but this was defeated in a voice vote by the convention attendees.

[75][76] In Somerset County, where the county chair, Peg Schaffer, a recently added board member at the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, had endorsed Murphy and where a whole-committee vote for the line was held on March 7, some committee members advocated for the usual show of hands or otherwise public vote to be replaced by a secret ballot at the line award in order to quell fears about retaliation.

[77] At the Somerset convention, the county chair denied a motion for secret ballot as "out of order" and the vote was held by a show of hands.

[79] In Middlesex County, the county chair, Kevin McCabe, who is a lobbyist before the Murphy Administration on matters of wind power, was nominated by Murphy's husband to the powerful board of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and has the sole authority to award the line as he sees fit,[80] denied a floor motion for a secret ballot at the gathering to award the line despite alleged chanting for same by delegates (according to the Kim campaign, as reporters were barred from the event).

"[86] On March 29, Judge Zahid Quraishi issued an injunction in the suit against the county line, directing clerks to instead print ballots with candidates organized by office in randomized order for the 2024 primary election.

[213] Kim and Murphy on Sunday, February 18, 2024, both participated in a live streamed event hosted by the New Jersey Globe, rather than an in-person debate.

[216] A third debate was announced on April 30, 2024, to be hosted by WNYC, New Jersey Public Radio, the American Civil Liberties Union, and Salvation for Social Justice.

[1] This announcement fueled speculation that Murphy would appoint Democratic nominee Andy Kim to the seat, as he is the favorite to win the general election.

[299] Republican nominee Curtis Bashaw released a public statement urging Murphy to appoint a caretaker to the seat, arguing selecting Kim would give him incumbency advantage.

[300] On July 16, Murphy appointed Port Authority of New York and New Jersey commissioner and his former chief of staff George Helmy to the seat.