Korean American Rep. Dave Min wins reelection to US House

WASHINGTON — Korean American Rep. Dave Min (D-CA) of the U.S. Democratic Party won reelection to the U.S. House of Representatives, securing a second term in Congress, according to a race projection.

The AP has called the race for Min over Republican Jenny Rae Le Roux in California’s 47th congressional district as vote counting continued following Tuesday’s midterm elections. With 62 percent of the vote counted, Min had secured 56.9 percent, leading Le Roux by 13.8 percentage points.

Min, 50, was born in Rhode Island in 1976 to Korean immigrant parents. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard Law School before working as an enforcement attorney at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

He later taught law at the University of California, Irvine, before entering politics.

Min first ran for Congress in 2018 but finished third in the Democratic primary. He later won a seat in the California State Senate in 2020 and worked on legislation involving gun control and environmental protection.

He made a successful second bid for the U.S. House in 2024, narrowly defeating Republican Scott Baugh in California’s 47th district.

Min became the third Korean American candidate win a congressional race in Tuesday’s midterms, following Rep. Marilyn Strickland (D-WA) and Democratic Rep.-elect Dan Koh of Massachusetts.

Strickland secured a fourth term, while Koh became the seventh Korean American elected to the U.S. Congress.