Watch Andy Kim on 'Daily Show' talk politics, Senate race and New Jersey

New Jersey took center stage, and some gentle ribbing, on Comedy Central Wednesday night when Congressman and Senate candidate Andy Kim appeared on "The Daily Show" to talk local and national politics.

Kim, a Democrat from New Jersey's Third District, fielded questions from co-hosts Ronny Chieng and Jordan Klepper during a segment on the satirical news show. Topics included his start in government, defeating an incumbent to join the House of Representatives in 2018; his status as an Asian-American elected official in a predominantly white district; and the current climate in Congress.

Kim is now the presumptive Democratic nominee for the Senate seat previously held by Bob Menendez, who is slated to go on trial next month on federal corruption charges. New Jersey first lady Tammy Murphy, who had been set to run against Kim in the June primary, suspended her campaign last month.

Kim admitted he never planned on a Senate run, but his motivation stemmed from the extreme distrust in government held by many Americans today.

"I believe that the opposite of democracy is apathy," he said. "I feel like at this critical moment, we have to restore a sense of integrity back into our politics and try to do our best to give the people in New Jersey a choice."

Kim also touted his 2020 re-election in which he was one of only seven Democrats in the country to win a district that voted for Donald Trump. He recalled being told there was no way an Asian-American would get elected, but as someone who grew up in the district and is now raising his two children there, he refused to let race factor into his candidacy.

"I'm not going to let other people determine what I am or am not capable of accomplishing simply because of the color of my skin and my last name," Kim said. "I have every bit as much right to represent that district as anybody else, and I have every bit as much right to represent my state as anybody else."

Kim's longtime residency in the Garden State prompted a jab from Klepper, who called his story "inspiring to hear and a little gross. That's a lot of time in New Jersey."

Chieng also poked fun at Menendez, referring to him not by name but as "the previous guy in New Jersey who got caught with gold bars in his house." With Kim seeking to replace Menendez, Chieng jokingly asked him, "What do you have against gold bars?"

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During the interview, Kim criticized some of his Congressional colleagues "who are more interested in being social influencers rather than lawmakers." He specifically cited Rep. Matt Gaetz, a Republican from Florida who once said, "If you're not making news, you're not governing," and contrasted it with his own rise from the son of Korean immigrants to an elected official.

"That should be a deeply humbling experience, not some platform for you to just go chase your ego and your ambition," Kim said.

Kim also lamented an increase in what he called "the crazies" among the Republicans, as opposed to the dwindling number of traditional conservatives, since he took office five-and-a-half years ago. Their plan, he said, is to pollute government to the point that "reasonable, decent people" simply choose not to participate.

Kim concluded the segment by invoking a line from his first boss in politics, who said, "You don't have good government unless you have good people working in government." Right now, the congressman argued, the U.S. needs more of those good people holding office.

"If you have a government that's filled with egotistical, narcissistic, power-hungry people, you will have an egotistical, narcissistic, power-hungry government," Kim said. "So we have to try to find a way to be able to stop it."

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Andy Kim appears on 'Daily Show' to talk politics