The Korean American candidates experienced a mixture of victories and defeats in the recent midterm elections, highlighting a dynamic political landscape.
Federal House Victories and Tight Races
In the federal House of Representatives, Representative Marilyn Strickland secured her fourth term, making history as the first Korean American to do so. Dan “Go” candidate won his first election, becoming the seventh Korean American federal lawmaker in history. Meanwhile, Representative Young Kim is facing a tough battle for her fourth term, trailing behind fellow Republican veteran Ken Calvert.
In Washington State’s 10th Congressional District, Marilyn Strickland (Democrat) secured an early victory on the 4th with 63.8% of the vote. In Massachusetts’ 6th Congressional District, Dan Go (Democrat) won 63.4% of the vote, defeating Republican opponent Micah Quinny Jones (36.6%) to win his first term.
Representative Dave Min (Democrat) of California’s 47th Congressional District also successfully won re-election. With 73% of the votes counted, Min secured 56.9% of the vote, leading Republican Jenny Ray Leroux by 13.8 percentage points.
Republican Representative Young Kim ran for a fourth term but stalled at 45.6% of the vote. Trailing fellow party member Calvert by about 9 percentage points, she must rely on remaining votes to stage a comeback.
State and Local Election Highlights
Jane Kim (Democrat), running for California Insurance Commissioner as the first Korean American to seek statewide elected office in the state, received 52% of the vote. She leads fellow Democratic State Senator Ben Allen by 4 percentage points, boosting her chances of victory.
Paul Seo (Democrat), running for California State Assembly District 66, received 62% of the vote, leading fellow Democrat Sarah Dean (38%) by 24 percentage points.
In the Arcadia City Council District 5 race, Steve Lee is leading in an ultra-tight race. As of 5 PM on the 4th, Lee received 1,526 votes, leading Michael Chao by a narrow margin of just 78 votes. In Calexico, Kim Joong-sik received 1,543 votes (20.5%), leading the field of seven candidates.
Out-of-State Results and Regional Showdowns
Results were also mixed for Korean American candidates in other states. In Oklahoma, Cindy Munson (Democrat), the first Korean American to run for governor, lost to Republican Mike Mazzei by about 6 percentage points.
In New York State Senate District 27, Grace Lee (Democrat) won a landslide victory with about 83.1% of the vote, becoming the first Korean American New York State Senator. New York State Assembly District 40 Representative Ron Kim (Democrat) ran unopposed and secured his eighth term. Edward Lee (Democrat) of District 36 fell short with 5,555 votes, losing by a wide margin to Democratic candidate Diana Moreno (31,214 votes). Sharon Chung (Democrat) of the Illinois State House District 91 also secured her third term.
In Washington State Senate District 32, Cindy Ryu (Democrat) is locked in a tight race, leading incumbent Jesse Solomon by about 1 percentage point. Washington State House District 39 candidate Aida Kelly (Democrat) received 49% of the vote, trailing Steve Ewing (Republican) by a margin of under 2 percentage points.
Georgia saw notable strong showings from Korean American candidates. Michelle Kang (Democrat) won Georgia State House District 99 with 58.5% of the vote, defeating Republican incumbent Matt Reeves (41.5%). Sam Park (Democrat) of State House District 107 also secured his sixth term with 70.9% of the vote.
Conversely, Georgia State House District 103 Representative Soo Hong (Republican) is locked in an ultra-tight race for re-election. Hong received 11,977 votes (49.9%), trailing Democratic candidate Chris Lucci (12,004 votes, 50.1%) by a mere 27 votes.
