Korean-American Young Kim narrowly misses historic election to US Congress
- Kim largely avoided mentioning her party’s leader, US President Donald Trump, during her campaign
- Orange County goes blue, as Democrats complete historic sweep
Eleven days after Americans cast their ballots in the midterm elections, Republican candidate Young Kim – aiming to become the first Korean-American woman elected to Congress – was defeated in a tight Southern California race for the US House of Representatives.
Although she took the lead on election day, mail-in ballots counted in the weeks following favoured Kim’s Democratic opponent Gil Cisneros in California’s 39th district, which includes portions of Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino counties.
Cisneros, 47, a US$266 million lottery jackpot winner, had been locked in a close race with Kim in a district that has grown increasingly diverse.
It’s about equally divided between Republicans, Democrats and independents, as it is with Asians, Hispanics and whites.
Home to former Republican President Richard Nixon, the district voted for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election, but has only elected one Democratic US representative since its inception in 1973.
Neighbouring districts in Orange County, which is 21 per cent Asian-American, saw similarly close races between Democratic and Republican candidates. Democrats unseated Republican incumbents in two neighbouring districts.
