What to Know in Washington: Andy Kim Poised to Upset NJ Politics

Rep. Andy Kim has already stunned New Jersey with his surging run for Senate. Now he might turn the state’s entire political culture on its head.

Kim (D) scored an early victory yesterday when his chief primary rival, New Jersey first lady Tammy Murphy, unexpectedly dropped out of the race. He’s now almost certain to replace scandal-scarred Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), who isn’t running for the Democratic nomination.

Rep. Andy Kim (D-N.J.)

As soon as this week, a federal judge could also rule on Kim’s lawsuit seeking to eliminate “the Line,” a distinctive New Jersey practice that gives huge advantages to candidates who win county party endorsements — and in turn empowers political warlords who frequently control those endorsements, and dominate the state’s politics.

If Judge Zahid N. Quraishi bars the Line, it could significantly weaken the grip of the state’s political machines, creating new opportunities for candidates with fewer political connections, particularly women and people of color in one of the country’s most diverse states.

With the primary filing deadline today, a ruling could come within days. The timing is crucial, as any change to the system this year will have to leave time for ballots to be printed before the June 4 vote. Kim, his fellow plaintiffs, and the county clerks he’s suing have all already made their arguments, though new filings are also due today.

Kim, if he goes on to win the Democratic primary against the handful of little-known rivals still running, would be a rare New Jersey candidate to prevail while having the most powerful party machines lined up against him. Jonathan Tamari has more on the potential shakeup.

BIDEN’S AGENDA

• The president has no public events scheduled.
• Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre will deliver a briefing at 1 p.m.

Happening on the Hill

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN signed a $1.2 trillion funding package that keeps the government running through Sept. 30, averting a partial shutdown.

• The signing ended a partisan tug-of-war, marked by repeated infighting among Republicans over amendments. With a midnight deadline looming, Senate leaders beat back efforts by conservative Republicans to enact deep spending cuts. Read more.

REP. MIKE GALLAGHER’S (R-Wis.) departure will render Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) able to lose only one lawmaker on any party-line vote starting April 19. And two upcoming special elections will have immediate influence on the House’s balance of power. Read more.

ADEEL MANGI, in line to be the first Muslim federal appellate judge, fired back against criticism by Republicans that’s jeopardized his prospect for Senate confirmation as the White House accuses the GOP of engaging in a smear campaign. Read more.

THE WHITE HOUSE criticized Republicans for adding a ban on US embassies flying the LGBTQ pride flag to a government funding bill signed into law this weekend, saying they abused the budget process and that Biden will work for its repeal. Read more.

REP. EARL BLUMENAUER will leave Congress after nearly three decades in Washington. The Oregon Democrat who founded the Congressional Bike Caucus is just one of a growing number of cycling advocates at the Capitol who won’t be returning. Read more.

Defense & Foreign Affairs

The Crocus City Hall in Moscow burning during the attack Friday. Photo by Stringer/AFP via Getty Images

VLADIMIR PUTIN had a choice — blame Ukraine directly for the worst terror attack on Moscow in a generation, or just hint at it. That he made such a link either way, in spite of Islamic State claiming responsibility, speaks volumes about his playbook. Read more.

• Dark Memories: The deadly attack at a Moscow concert hall that left over 130 dead plunged anxious Russians back to a time they thought they’d left behind, when a wave of violence engulfed the country early in Putin’s rule. Read more.
• Oil Sanctions: The Russian oil-export machine funding the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine is finally getting some grit in its gears. Since October, Washington ratcheted up sanctions on a wider fleet of tankers moving Russian crude. Read more.

KAMALA HARRIS warned Israel against a major attack on the Gazan city of Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians have sought refuge as the war against Hamas continues.

• “I am ruling out nothing,” Harris said to ABC yesterday when asked whether there would be consequences for a military assault on Rafah. “We have been clear in multiple conversations and in every way that any major military operation in Rafah would be a huge mistake.” Read more.

BIDEN and Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida are expected to announce plans to restructure the US military command in Japan, the Financial Times reports. The plan, which will strengthen operational planning and exercises between the two countries, will be unveiled when Biden hosts Kishida at the White House on April 10. Read more.

What Else We’re Reading

Photo by ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images

A demonstrator at the Supreme Court.

IN THE SUPREME COURT’S SCRUTINY of misepristone, all three advocates arguing one of the term’s most closely watched cases are women — a rare occurrence at a court where male attorneys vastly outnumber their female counterparts. Read more.

• The high court tomorrow will consider reducing access to the widely used abortion drug, and next month will weigh allowing state bans even when an emergency room doctor believes ending a pregnancy would preserve the mother’s health.
• Both cases pit the Biden administration against the Christian legal group leading the courthouse charge against abortion. Read more.

IF CONGRESS forces ByteDance to sell TikTok or face a US ban, the social media company is poised to reprise First Amendment arguments that kept the wildly popular video-sharing app from being blocked in Montana. Read more.

THE FAA is eyeing drastic measures to curb United Airlines’ growth following a series of safety incidents. The temporary moves being considered include restrictions on new routes. Read more.

• The DOJ sent letters to passengers from the Alaska flight, informing each they’re a “possible victim of crime,” according to a copy of the letter obtained by Bloomberg News. Read more.

THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION is awarding $6 billion in grants to companies in a bid to clean-up hard to decarbonize industries including metal, paper, and glass. The money will be aimed at industries that account for nearly a quarter of US emissions, but are challenging and expensive to shift to lower-carbon technologies. Read more.

To contact the reporters on this story: Kayla Sharpe at ksharpe@bloombergindustry.com; Brandon Lee in Washington at blee@bgov.com; Jeannie Baumann in Washington at jbaumann@bloombergindustry.com

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Giuseppe Macri at gmacri@bgov.com