Steven S. Choi (R), a former state assemblyman, was elected to the California State Senate District 37th.
The election campaign and the California Republican Party announced on November 22 that Choi had been elected for the first time in 44 years, beating the incumbent Democrat.
Choi had been leading by a margin of 7,000 to 8,000 votes since the beginning of the ballot counting on November 5. The party declared victory on November 22, believing that the possibility of a change in the ballot counting trend had diminished. As of November 24, Choi has received 231,358 votes (50.67%) and is leading Democratic Party Representative Josh Newman by 6,127 votes.
With this victory, Choi is expected to represent the Korean-American community as the only elected official in the current California State Assembly and Senate. The Korea Daily officially endorsed Choi in this election.
Choi, who was born in Naju, Jeollanam-do, graduated from Kyung Hee University, then went on to Louisiana State University and received a doctorate in library and information science from the University of Pittsburgh in 1976.
He was elected as a member of the Irvine Unified School District Board of Education in 1998 and was re-elected in 2002. In 2004, Choi entered the Irvine City Council, and in 2012, he won the mayoral election and served as mayor for four years. He then won the California State Assembly (68th district) seat and served until the end of November 2022.
BY BRIAN CHOI, HOONSIK WOO [choi.inseong@koreadaily.com]
