TOMS RIVER, N.J. — Democrat Andy Kim, who seeks to topple incumbent Republican Tom MacArthur in New Jersey’s 3rd Congressional District, hasn’t been in New Jersey very long.
A former Obama National Security Council staff member, Kim reportedly “moved back in early 2017 to Marlton, New Jersey,” a sprawling suburb of Burlington County, and in so doing likely satisfied the basic residency requirement for ballot access. But is that the whole story?
On Thursday, the MacArthur campaign shared obtained Burlington County and Washington, D.C. government documents with New Jersey state media.
The documents appear to show Kim having availed himself of a property tax break on his Washington, D.C. condominium in September 2017 after registering to vote in New Jersey a few months beforehand in May 2017. The tax break for Kim’s $826,000 D.C. condo amounted to a $72,450 homestead credit, one which is utilized by individuals whose principal place of residence, or primary domicile, is the District of Columbia.
The tax documentation also notifies recipients of the credit that they are “obligated” to inform the D.C. tax the office within 30 days of no longer being eligible for the credit “to cancel your tax relief.”
Team MacArthur says its research raises serious questions about Kim’s credibility.
“Did Andy Kim lie to get a substantial property tax break on his nearly $1 million condo in Washington, D.C. or did he lie about where he lived so he could register to vote in South Jersey and run for Congress here – which is it?” asked Chris Russell, the consultant and spokesman for MacArthur’s reelection campaign.
Andy Kim is currently registered to vote in Bordentown Township at a property which is owned by a third party.
The supplied tax documentation shows Kim’s March 2018 tax bill continues to include the credit for the first half of tax year 2018.
“Andy Kim doesn’t pay property taxes in New Jersey and doesn’t own a home here, but it’s not because he can’t afford to,” added Russell. “Andy Kim pretends to be a career public servant struggling to make ends meet here in New Jersey, but the truth is that he’s still claims to be a resident of Washington, D.C. who is entitled to a special tax break on a D.C. condo that is valued at more than three times what an average home in Burlington and Ocean Counties is worth. It’s time for Andy Kim to do some explaining. Trouble for him is that no matter which truth he chooses, he’s going to be admitting to a big lie.”
New Jersey’s 3rd Congressional District is considered one of the state’s top 5 most competitive House battlegrounds for Election 2018, though the district’s Republican tint (it voted for Kim Guadagno in 2017) and MacArthur’s formidable fundraising prowess have the Cook Political Report ranking NJ-03 as “likely Republican” for now.
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