Rep.-elect Young Kim (R-Calif.-39)

Date of Birth: Oct. 18, 1962
Residence: La Habra, Calif.
Occupation: small-business owner, former California state assemblywoman
Education: B.A., University of Southern California
Family: husband, Charles; four children 

Rep.-elect Young Kim (R) will enter Congress after defeating incumbent Rep. Gil Cisneros (D) in a rematch to represent California’s 39th District.

Kim, a small-business owner and former member of the California State Assembly, had previously lost to Cisneros in 2018 in a bid to fill retiring Rep. Ed Royce’s (R) seat.

Kim emigrated from South Korea before attending the University of Southern California, and later worked in Royce’s congressional office for 21 years, as both a community liaison and director of Asian affairs. She received the backing of both Royce and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).

Kim has pushed for ensuring border security and the safety of undocumented children, as well as creating more jobs and lowering taxes.

Kim is the first Korean American woman elected to Congress. She was also the first Korean American Republican woman elected to the California legislature.

— Damare Baker