Andy Kim, Adam Schiff Are Sworn In as Senators

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The two legislators resigned from the House on Dec. 8 and begin serving their terms earlier than other newly elected senators.

WASHINGTON—Former Reps. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) were sworn into the Senate on Dec. 9.

The two lawmakers were sworn in by Vice President Kamala Harris, who serves as president of the Senate.

Kim was sworn in earlier than scheduled—giving him an advantage in terms of seniority that could lead to his chairing committees sooner than his freshmen colleagues.

Schiff was sworn in after winning what was a special election to finish Feinstein’s term.

Starting in January, they will begin the full six-year terms they won on Nov. 5.

Schiff and Kim resigned from the House on Dec. 8.

Schiff, 64, succeeds Sen. Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.), who was appointed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom to complete the term of Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) following Feinstein’s 2023 death. A former union organizer, Butler had announced she would not run for a full term.

In a Dec. 6 letter resigning from the House, Schiff called Feinstein “a true giant of the Senate and a mentor.” He expressed appreciation for Butler’s “leadership, friendship and service.”

Schiff, who previously represented California’s 30th Congressional District and served in the House since 2001, is just the third Jewish senator from California, following Feinstein and former Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.).

Kim, 42, succeeds Sen. George Helmy (D-N.J.), who was appointed by New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy in August following the resignation of former Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), who was convicted on corruption-related charges.

Kim, who previously represented New Jersey’s Third Congressional District and was in the House for more than five years, is the country’s first Korean American senator and the first Asian American senator from New Jersey.

Before being elected to Congress in November 2018, Kim served in the Obama administration.

“It’s been the honor of my life to serve you and this community that raised me—where I attended kindergarten as a boy, and now I’m a father of two little boys who I’ve loved watching grow up here too. I have given this job everything I have and worked as hard as I could,” Kim wrote on his website in a farewell to his district constituents.

Helmy, who was the first Coptic Orthodox Christian to serve in the Senate, served in the upper congressional chamber for just 85 days.

“Senator Helmy has stepped up to serve New Jersey numerous times in his career, and we are grateful for his willingness to do so yet again in a time of need,” Kim said in the statement.

“His tenure in the Senate was one of dedication and stability. He served the people of New Jersey well and drew attention to critical issues like the youth mental health crisis, an issue I plan to continue to focus on.”