PARSIPPANY - Andy Kim says there was a time when he felt "basically excommunicated" from the state's Democratic party. That was in early 2024 when he had the audacity to run against Tammy Murphy, the party's choice for U.S. Senate.

Kim was a congressman at the time and many Democrats backed First Lady Murphy.

But not Tom Malinowski, a former congressman from the 7th District. He called Kim and offered his support.

And on Saturday evening, now-Senator Kim returned the favor.

Kim joined Malinowski at the local PAL for what was called a dialogue on democracy. More to the point, he lavishly praised Malinowski who is now running in a special CD-11 election to replace Mikie Sherrill in the House.

Talking about how Dems, who are in the minority in Congress, continue to fight the Trump Administration, Kim said, "I need all the help I can get right now."

Kim, citing Malinowski's experience in Congress and before that as an assistant secretary for human rights in the State Department, said that he would not need a learning curve.

"He knows everybody. That would be unbelievably helpful right now," Kim said.

Malinowski spoke about what he called the excesses of the Trump Administration in regard to trampling on traditional democratic principles and how tariffs are hurting the economy.

As an example, he cited President Trump's "termination" of the Gateway Tunnel project, a vital New Jersey initiative that has had bipartisan support.

He said he is running again for Congress because of a need for "checks and balances," - a principle that dates back to the Founding Fathers.

Malinowski is one of 12 Democrats seeking the party's nomination. The primary is Feb. 5 and the general election is April 16.

Saturday night in December may not be the best time for a political discussion, but about 100 people attended.

Aside from his support for Malinowski, Kim was winding up an eventful week. On Monday, he was in Trenton to testify against a bill to weaken the state Comptroller's Office, which investigates public corruption.

State Sen. James Beach, the relevant committee chair and fellow Democrat, kept Kim waiting more than four hours, noting that he wasn't "special."

Kim on Saturday called it a "bizarre experience."