Two Democrats are trying to flip California’s 40th congressional district and unseat Rep. Young Kim, a Republican from Anaheim Hills who is serving her second term in Congress.
Kim is being challenged by retired fire captain Joe Kerr and Tustin Unified School District President Allyson Muñiz Damikolas.
Kim’s seat is deemed “likely Republican” by the Cook Political Report, which analyzes elections. According to state data, Republicans account for 37.9% of all the registered voters in the district, which covers portions of Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, while 33.9% are Democrats and 22% are no party preference voters.
CA-40 is one of 31 House seats held by Republicans that the national Democratic Party’s campaign arm sees as a “key to winning a Democratic House majority.”
Kim, who in 2020 became one of the first Korean American women elected to Congress, said she grew up in South Korea in the aftermath of the Korean War and felt firsthand the constant threat of the North Korean regime. That’s why she supports “aid to our allies and partners in Ukraine and Israel as they defend themselves and their livelihoods against rogue aggression by Vladimir Putin and Hamas terrorists,” Kim said.
But Kim, who sits on the Foreign Affairs Committee and chairs the Indo-Pacific Subcommittee, said that “supporting allies and partners cannot take precedence over our nation’s priorities.”
“Oversight of the administration is a top priority of mine,” she said. “I’m watching like a hawk how taxpayer dollars are being spent and fighting to ensure America projects strength on the world stage.”
Damikolas, a Democrat, said, “Congress has a responsibility to the American people first and foremost.” Part of that responsibility is “protecting our interests abroad by standing up to economic and security threats,” she said.
Damikolas pointed to “growing economic threats from China and Russia” as examples of what the U.S. needs to challenge.
And Kerr, the other Democrat in the primary, said that “while it is not our role to determine the best course of action for each country or their respective democratic governments, it is our responsibility to protect the lives of vulnerable citizens” when U.S. allies are waging a war against terrorist organizations, dictatorial governments, annexation or violent regimes.
But for U.S. allies to receive aid, he said, they must abide by the “standards and confines of the Rules of Engagement,” which requires that use of force abide by international law.
“Civilian lives should never be held as ransom, or used as currency, for geopolitical gain,” Kerr said.
Border security is a priority for voters this election cycle, a 2023 survey of California voters found. More than 6 in 10 surveyed likely voters said the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border is either “a crisis” or “a major problem.”
Recently, the U.S. Senate released a long-awaited border deal, which cracks down on illegal crossings and expedites asylum while tightening the system, making it harder for people to seek asylum. The 370-page border deal also outlines aid to Ukraine and Israel. If passed, the U.S. will send around $60 billion in aid to Ukraine, $14 billion to Israel and $9.2 billion in humanitarian aid for civilians in Ukraine and Gaza.
Kerr said he supports “expediting the asylum-seeking process, providing comprehensive access to legal services, creating additional regional processing centers with more humane facilities that prevent families from being separated and providing additional training and resources for key personnel.”
While there are aspects of the bill that do not go far enough to help those coming to America, Kerr said, it’s ultimately “a step in the right direction.”
In Congress, he said he would also advocate for a clearer, more actionable path to citizenship for all immigrants, including “Dreamers,” young immigrants brought to the U.S unlawfully through no fault of their own. They represent a key demographic left out by the comprehensive Senate border bill.
“‘Dreamers’ deserve to be here,” Damikolas said. “And I’ll support pathways that give ‘Dreamers’ full access to the only lives they’ve known since childhood.”
While Kim supports granting legal status to “Dreamers,” she voted against legislation in 2021 that would’ve granted individuals in the U.S. unlawfully a path to receive legal status, given that they meet certain requirements, including being “continuously physically present in the United States since Jan. 1, 2021, passing a background check and being enrolled in or having completed certain educational programs,” according to the bill. Kim noted then that the legislation “went far beyond giving legal status to Dreamers;” granting “legal status to those who arrived in the U.S. as recently as January of 2021.”
“I think they should be able to stay here legally,” Kim had said. “But we also need to remember there are people who have been waiting in line for a number of years.”
CA-40 is one of several Republican-held House districts that went for President Joe Biden in 2020. It includes Aliso Viejo, Anaheim, Brea, Lake Forest, Laguna Hills, Laguna Woods, Mission Viejo, Orange, Rancho Santa Margarita, Tustin, Villa Park and Yorba Linda in Orange County; Chino Hills in San Bernardino County; and Corona in Riverside County.
When asked what environment or climate policy they’d champion if elected, Damikolas and Kerr alluded to their backgrounds, Damikolas as an environmental engineer and Kerr as a firefighter.
Damikolas said sustainability should be integrated into broad policy-making. Some examples, she said, include “developing a broad portfolio of water resources to sustainably manage limited supplies,” or “funding water agencies to address persistent chemicals and emerging contaminants.”
She said transitioning to sustainable energy sources such as wind, hydro, solar, biofuels and geothermal is “the physically and economically wise choice for our country.”
Kerr said he would champion increasing firefighter staffing to combat wildfires and installing wildfire detection AI cameras that have the capability to differentiate smoke from clouds, fog and smog.
“We cannot solve climatic extremes until we solve wildfires,” he said. “This output of (carbon dioxide) causes the climate to respond with extreme weather patterns including larger, hotter, more frequent wildfires.”
Kim, on the other hand, decried high gas prices and rising utility costs in California. U.S. innovation, she said, “is the best way that we can secure energy independence, lower costs, protect our national security and reduce emissions long-term.”
Regarding campaign finance, Kim is in the lead. She reported raising $752,055 in the last quarter of 2023, ending the year with about $2,54 million still left to spend.
In the same quarter, Damikolas and Kerr raised $126,611 and $399,605 (including a $327,619 loan) and have $180,726 and $642,971 cash on hand, respectively.
Primary ballots went out to all registered voters on Monday, Feb. 5. Ballot drop boxes also opened on Monday and voting centers will open on Feb. 24. The Orange County Registrar’s office is providing in-person voting, voter registration, replacement ballots and other general assistance.
