Another Korean American has made history by being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. The election results for California’s 47th congressional district, held on November 5th, confirmed the victory of Democratic candidate Dave Min (pictured). Major news networks, including CNN, NBC, and ABC, reported on November 13th that with 89% of the votes counted, Min’s win was confirmed.

On the evening of November 12th, Min’s campaign also declared victory, citing Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ), a specialized election analysis organization. His opponent, Republican Scott Baugh, conceded the race. With this victory, Min, who has previously served as a California State Senator, becomes the first Korean American Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California.

According to the California Secretary of State’s vote count update as of 5 PM on the 13th, Min leads with 164,372 votes (50.9%), while Baugh received 158,460 votes (49.1%), a margin of nearly 6,000 votes. Although Min initially trailed slightly at the start of the count, he gained momentum midway, eventually overtaking his opponent. Facing a strong Republican base in Orange County, Min ran a challenging campaign but successfully retained the seat for the Democratic Party in his first congressional race.

Meanwhile, California’s 45th congressional district remains closely contested, where incumbent Republican Michelle Park Steel is seeking a third term. As of 5 PM on the 13th, with 90% of the votes counted, Steel leads with 147,100 votes (50.4%) against Democrat Derek Tran, who has 144,828 votes (49.6%), a narrow lead of only 2,272 votes. Steel had led by around 7,000 votes as of November 11th, but as counting continued, the gap has narrowed, leaving her campaign awaiting further results with anticipation.

—By Hyungseok Han

<Hyungseok Han>