With more than 10 months to go before next year’s primary elections, a number of key congressional races in California are taking center stage. These are districts that were competitive in the last election or have new variables this year that could change the course of the election, and there are some notable Korean-American candidates in the mix.
3rd District, Sierra Nevada
Kevin Kiley (R) was elected in the newly redrawn 3rd District in a race with no incumbent last year. The former state representative defeated Democrat Kermit Jones. No Democratic candidate has yet declared candidacy.
40th District, Orange County
Rep. Young Kim (R) is seeking a third term in the U.S. House of Representatives. While the district is categorized as “Republican” due to its incumbency, it is expected to be one of the most competitive districts for Democrats. Last year, Kim defeated Dr. Asif Mahmood. However, there is a history of a Democratic candidate winning in a close race in early 2020.
22nd District, Kings County
David Valadao (R) is the incumbent, and this district is considered a hyper-competitive district. The 46-year-old representative has held his position for the past decade but barely defeated T.J. Cox by two percentage points in 2018 and 2020. Last year, he won by 3 percentage points over Rudy Salas, a former state representative. A rematch is expected next year.
41st District, Riverside
Ken Calvert (R) has held his seat since 1993. But last year, he won by 4 percentage points over his opponent, Will Rollins. It’s a solid Republican district. The district is expected to have two to three Democratic candidates, including Rollins.
45th District, Garden Grove
Last year, Chinese-American Jay Chen (D) ran against Michelle Park Steele and lost. Steele, who was re-elected, won 52.4% of the votes in the runoff. Chen is expected to run again, and Garden Grove City Councilwoman Kim Nguyen (D) has announced her intention to run in the next race.
13th District, Modesto
Rep. John Duarte (R) won the last election by 564 votes (0.4 percentage points). His opponent was state Rep. Adam Gray, who defeated a Democratic nominee in what was expected to be a Democratic stronghold during the Biden surge in the 2020 presidential election. A rematch is expected, and two to three other Democrats have announced their intentions to run.
47th District, Irvine
Incumbent Katie Porter announced her candidacy for the U.S. Senate, leaving the district without an incumbent. State Sen. Dave Min (D) has officially been endorsed by Porter to run. Porter won last year’s election by 3 percentage points over Republican Scott Baugh. Baugh is running again, and three to four others have announced their intentions to run as well.
27th District, Valencia
Valencia is known for its strong Republican tendency, and Mike Garcia (R) is up for re-election after 2020. In last year’s election, he defeated former state Assemblywoman Christy Smith by 6 percentage points. Smith has no plans to run again next year. George Whiteside, a former president of Virgin Atlantic, and Francisco Carrillo, who spent 20 years in prison for a falsely convicted murder, have announced their candidacies.
BY INSEONG CHOI [support@koreadaily.com]
