The performance of Korean American candidates running in the federal Senate and House elections held alongside the U.S. presidential election is drawing attention. A total of seven Korean American candidates ran, including one for the Senate and six for the House, and so far, two have secured their victories.
First, Democratic Party member Representative Andy Kim, who served three terms in the House representing New Jersey, was elected as the first Korean American federal Senator. While there have been several Korean American members of the federal House of Representatives, this is the first time a Korean American has been elected to the Senate. It is also the first time an Asian American from the U.S. East Coast has been elected to the federal Senate.
Born in 1982 in Boston, Massachusetts, and raised in New Jersey, he is a second-generation immigrant who graduated from the University of Chicago and earned a Ph.D. in International Relations from the University of Oxford in the UK. He is an expert on Middle Eastern security.
In Washington State, Democratic Party member Representative Marilyn Strickland won her third term.
Also well known by her Korean name "Sunja," Representative Strickland was born in September 1962 to a Korean mother and a Black father who was a U.S. military veteran of the Korean War. Born in Seoul, she moved to the U.S. at the age of one. She entered politics in 2008 when she was elected to the Tacoma City Council. From 2010 to 2018, she served as the mayor of Tacoma, and after being elected to the federal House of Representatives in 2020, she successfully won her third term this year.
In California, Republican Party members Young Kim (Korean name Kim Young-ok) and Michelle Park Steel (Korean name Park Eun-joo) are running for their third terms. According to the Associated Press, as of 6:30 p.m. Korean time on the 7th, with 71% of the votes counted, Young Kim is leading with 56.6% of the vote against Democratic candidate Joe Kho (43.4%), making her victory highly likely.
Michelle Park Steel is also leading with 52.1% of the vote against Democratic candidate Derek Tran (47.9%) with 70% of the votes counted.
Democratic candidate Dave Min, running in California, is in a close race with Republican candidate Scott Baugh, holding 49.8% of the vote to Baugh’s 50.2% with 73% of the votes counted.
However, Democratic candidate David Kim, also running in California, lost to incumbent Jimmy Gomez, and Republican Eugene Yu, who sought a first term in Georgia, was also defeated.
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