[US Election 2024]
Young Kim (Korean name Kim Young-ok, 62), a Korean-American female politician and a member of the U.S. Republican Party, has won her third term as a federal congresswoman.
Korean-American Congresswoman Young Kim (California, Republican) delivered a greeting at the 17th Korean War Veterans Armistice Day event held on July 24 (local time) at the Cannon House Office Building, a congressional building in Washington, D.C. Photo by Yonhap News
According to the Associated Press on the 7th (local time), as of 9:16 PM Eastern Time, with 74% of the votes counted in California's 40th congressional district where Kim is running, she is projected to win with 56.4% of the vote. Her opponent, Democrat Joe Kerr, is currently at 43.6% of the vote.
Kim secured an overwhelming first place in the March primary election with 56.4% of voter support, advancing to the runoff. Throughout the election period, polls consistently showed her leading by a significant margin over her challenger, firefighter-turned-candidate Joe Kerr.
California's 40th congressional district includes the eastern part of Orange County, where many Korean residents live, as well as parts of inland San Bernardino County and Riverside County. Kim was first elected in 2020 in the 39th district, and after redistricting in 2022, she won re-election in the slightly altered 40th district and has now secured another victory. Although California is generally considered a Democratic stronghold, the southern inland region that includes this district tends to lean more conservative compared to the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area.
Born in Incheon, Kim spent her childhood in Seoul before moving with her family to the U.S. territory of Guam in 1975, where she attended middle and high school. She then enrolled at the University of Southern California (USC), majoring in business administration. Encouraged by her husband, she entered politics by working as a staffer for Ed Royce, a pro-Korea former U.S. congressman from the Republican Party. She began her career as an elected official by winning a seat in the California State Assembly in 2014.
After entering the U.S. House of Representatives, Kim has served on the Foreign Affairs Committee, addressing issues related to U.S.-Korea diplomacy and sponsoring bills such as the reauthorization of the North Korean Human Rights Act. In February of last year, she became the first Korean-American lawmaker to be elected chair of the Subcommittee on the Indo-Pacific under the Foreign Affairs Committee.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
