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LOS ANGELES (AP) – Republican Young Kim defeated U.S. Representative Gil Cisneros in a southern California district on Friday, the second GOP candidate to grab a Democratic-held seat in the state this year .
The contest in the 39th Congressional District anchored in Orange County was a rematch of 2018, when Cisneros was one of seven Democrats to claim the California districts held by the GOP that year.
Kim overcame President Donald Trump’s poor performance in heavily Democratic California, where he only got a third of the vote.
In a video, Kim thanked supporters and added, as the election ended, “I hope we can come together and move forward to resolve the issues facing our nation.”
“As an immigrant… I know America’s promise is alive,” she added.
Kim, a former state lawmaker, was born in South Korea and raised in Guam. She joins Marilyn Strickland of Washington State and Michelle Steel of California as the first Korean American women elected to Congress.
Strickland, a Democrat, last week won the 10th Congressional Open District southwest of Seattle. Steel, a Republican, claimed the 48th district of Orange County from Democratic Representative Harley Rouda on Tuesday.
In a statement, Cisneros praised Kim and said he would take the time to think about his future. “I still have a lot of fighting in me,” he added.
The Republicans have decided this year to recover at least some of the seats lost two years ago.
They picked up two, with wins from Steel and Kim, and lead in two more: the 21st District of Central Valley, where former Republican David Valadao edged out Democratic Rep. TJ Cox, and the 25th District north of Los Angeles, where Republican Mike Garcia led by about 100 votes in a back-and-forth with Democrat Christy Smith.
Republicans have also occupied the seat of the San Diego County-anchored 50th District, which former U.S. Representative Darrell Issa will represent after winning his return bid two years after deciding not to stand for re-election in a district. neighbor become more democratic. The 50th District has a GOP registration advantage of nearly 10 points. The seat was vacated earlier this year by Republican Duncan Hunter after pleading guilty to a federal corruption charge.
Kim and Steel’s victories mark a surprising turnaround in a state where Democrats hold all office of state, have dominant majorities in the legislature and congressional delegation, and a nearly 2-to-1 advantage. on Republicans among registered voters.
Kim, 58, overcame a Democratic record advantage in the district, which also includes slices of Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties, and overcame widespread disgust for Trump.
“The return of Orange County is here,” said Fred Whitaker, Chairman of the Orange County Republican Party, in a statement.
In the campaign, Kim portrayed Cisneros as subordinate to Democratic House leader Nancy Pelosi. Cisneros, a Navy veteran and $ 266 million lottery jackpot winner who started a charitable foundation with his wife, has promoted his efforts to protect healthcare.
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This story has been corrected to refer to the appeal made on Friday, not Wednesday.
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