Rep. Young Kim (R-CA) has once again beat a Democrat in California’s 40th congressional district, which voted for Biden in 2020, topping retired fire captain Joe Kerr.
Kim beat Kerr with 56.4% of the vote to Kerr’s 43.6%. The Associated Press called the race at 9:09 p.m. with 74% of the vote counted so far.
The California Republican’s seat, largely based in once-Republican bastion Orange County, has been a target for Democrats looking to further shut the GOP out of The Golden State. But Kim beat Kerr handily in the nonpartisan primary election, garnering 56% of the total vote, offering voters an inevitable preview of her victory in the general election.
Kim became one of the first three Korean American women ever elected to the House when she took office following the 2020 election for California’s 39th district. She was elected alongside fellow California Republican Rep. Michelle Steel (R-CA) and Rep. Marilyn Strickland (D-WA).
Kim shifted from the 39th to the 40th district after redistricting made it more difficult for a Republican to win. She won reelection in 2022 with 56.8% of the vote compared to her Democratic opponent, Asif Mahmood’s 43.2%.
For this election cycle, Democrats poured money into California’s House races, backing Kerr. The state has a few swing House races that will likely determine which party holds the House.
For Kim’s part, she sought to close the distance between Kerr and Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) in an effort to sway voters away from Kerr. On Monday, Kim tweeted out an attack ad against Kerr suggesting that he’s a “joker.”
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“It’s fitting that Gavin Newsom stopped by Orange today to attempt to bail out my opponent. #CA40 voters know that Newsom and Kerr have worked to raise our taxes and make our lives harder,” she wrote. “We don’t need the failed policies of Sacramento going to Washington. #PairofJokers“
With the election win, Kim will go into the House for her third term in Congress.