Korean-American candidates solidify their three-term U.S. Representative seats

Korean-American representatives are on the way to their third terms. Following Andy Kim’s victory in New Jersey’s U.S. Senate race, Representatives Young Kim and Marilyn Strickland locked in a third term in the U.S. House of Representatives. Representative Michelle Steel (R) is also on the verge of a third term, with a narrow lead over Derek Tran.

In the 40th Congressional District, Young Kim (R) has clinched a third term in the U.S. House of Representatives, beating out challenger Joe Kerr (D) by a wide margin, according to the Orange County Registrar of Voters and the Associated Press.

As of 5 p.m. on November 6, Kim had 56.6% of the vote (162,862 votes) with 71% of the vote counted. This is 13.2 percentage points ahead of Kerr’s 43.4% (124,849 votes).

Kim is expected to join the senior leadership of the House of Representatives and continue to serve on the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Born in Incheon, South Korea, in 1962, Kim immigrated to the U.S. in 1975. She served as an aide to former Congressman Ed Royce and as a member of the California State Assembly.

Marilyn Strickland (D), who was endorsed by the Seattle Korean-American community, also secured a third term in the 10th Congressional District.

As of 5 p.m. on November 6 with 82% of the vote counted, Strickland had 58.4% of the vote (165,963 votes), a 16.8 percentage point lead over Don Hewett (R), who had 41.6% (116,000 votes).

Strickland was born in Seoul, South Korea to a Korean mother and a father who served in the U.S. Army. She was raised in the U.S. when her father was deployed to a base in Virginia at the age of one. She served as mayor of Tacoma, Washington, from 2010 to 2018 before being elected to serve the House of Representatives. In 2021, she made headlines for wearing a hanbok (Korean traditional clothing) to her inauguration ceremony.

BY HYOUNGJAE KIM, HOONSIK WOO [woo.hoonsik@koreadaily.com]