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“Young Kim twists herself in knots to present herself as a ‘moderate,’ yet a quick look at her voting record shows she is anything but. By voting against historic investments for Orange County, codifying protections for reproductive health care, and comprehensive background checks for gun sales, Kim has been a rubber stamp for a MAGA agenda. Dr. Asif Mahmood has served Southern California for over twenty years and will use his expertise to fight for lower costs and expanded health care access for Orange County families in Washington.” – DCCC Chairman Sean Patrick Maloney
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To: Interested Parties
From: Maddy Mundy, DCCC Regional Press Secretary
Date: June 13th, 2022
Subject: The Case Against Young Kim
Representative Young Kim has already had a harder time than anticipated keeping her seat in Congress. After doing little to campaign and make the case to the 80% of new voters in her district over the last few months, Kim put herself at risk of losing her seat long before the November general election. In a desperate attempt to stave off an embarrassing loss from a primary on the right, Kim and Kevin McCarthy’s super PAC dumped more than a million dollars into ads before the June 7th primary.
As a result, Cook Political has already shifted its rating of this district towards Democrats. Kim’s unwillingness to talk to voters in her new district reveals she is only interested in hearing the priorities of her radical party bosses in Washington. Kim’s contempt for her constituents has been present throughout her political career. While failing to pay her own taxes, Kim pocketed $1.2 million in taxpayer-funded salary and benefits, and even took taxpayer-funded per diem on days she didn’t show up to work. Her indifference has followed her to Washington, where Kim has consistently voted against the priorities of Orange County families.
Thankfully, the residents of California’s 40th Congressional District have another choice this November: Asif Mahmood is a doctor who has worked to improve lives for Southern California for over twenty years. Dr. Mahmood is running to lower costs, increase public safety, fight tax hikes on the middle class, and expand health care for Orange County families.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
Los Angeles Times: Why is O.C. Republican Rep. Young Kim suddenly spending more than $1 million in her primary? [Los Angeles Times, May 27, 2022]
“[Young Kim] is campaigning with a sudden sense of urgency. Kim has unleashed $1.3 million in advertising as the primary approaches. Outside allies are coming to her aid with more spending.
“Most of Kim’s focus is on fending off Greg Raths, an underfunded GOP opponent who has been a staple on the political scene in Mission Viejo, the district’s largest city. After years of touting her bipartisan bona fides, she is upping her appeals to the GOP base, emphasizing her conservatism and hard-edged rhetoric on illegal immigration.”
Los Angeles Times: Galvanized by abortion fight, Orange County women could upend congressional races [May 9, 2022]
“The overturning of Roe ‘will be a defining issue in the race,’ said Nathan Click, spokesman for Democrat Asif Mahmood, a Tustin physician who is the most prominent challenger to GOP Rep. Young Kim of La Habra.
“‘On one side, you have a doctor who has counseled patients making difficult decisions about their health,’ Click said. ‘On the other, you have an anti-choice member of Congress who has consistently sided with far-right attempts to outlaw abortion.”
“Kim’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.”
OC Register: Election 2022: Here’s where Orange County candidates for federal and state offices stand on gay marriage [May 6, 2022]
“Kim, R-La Habra, didn’t respond to a question in late March about how she’d vote on the issue of gay marriage.”
YOUNG KIM’S ‘MODERATE’ CLAIMS CRUMBLE
Young Kim has presented herself as a moderate, but the truth is she has carried water for the most extreme in her party. When she had the opportunity to support the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal, which ushered historic investments to create jobs and improve transit in Orange County, she voted against it.
As Orange County families struggled with a global rise in inflation, Kim refused to vote in favor of capping the price of prescription drugs. Instead, Kim has aligned herself with the MAGA Republicans of her party who are dead set on raising taxes for working and middle class families. In fact, this spring, Kim campaigned side-by-side with Rick Scott, the architect of the Republican plan to raise taxes on millions of Americans and sunset away essential programs like Social Security and Medicare. If Kim and Republicans take control of Congress this November, Orange County middle-class families would see their taxes rise.
Young Kim is far from moderate on another important issue to California voters: access to abortion. A recent California statewide poll reveals Roe v. Wade is supported by Democrats, independents and Republicans; while experts predict reproductive rights will be a mobilizing factor among California swing voters this November.
Kim is complicit in Republicans’ all-out assault on women’s freedoms. She sided with her radical party bosses and voted against the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would codify Roe v. Wade. Kim’s cowering to the MAGA extremists of her party does not stop there. When asked by the OC Register if she would commit to protecting gay marriage, Kim refused.
Whether it is lowering costs for Orange County families, or protecting their fundamental rights, time and time again, Young Kim has shown she cannot be trusted to stand up to her MAGA party bosses.
Kim has also faltered in the face of the gun violence epidemic gripping our country. In the wake of the Uvalde shooting and a mass shooting mere miles away from her district last month, Kim’s opposition to common-sense gun violence reform is unconscionable. In 2021, Kim voted against enhanced background checks. Kim’s extreme MAGA votes are a slap in the face to her constituents who have been devastated by a lack of common sense gun control and join the some 90% of Americans in calling for background checks.
YOUNG KIM’S DISRESPECT FOR TAXPAYERS
While Young Kim wants to raise taxes on middle class families, she failed to pay her own, owing the IRS over $10,000 in unpaid federal income taxes. All the while, Kim had no issue taking taxpayers’ money for herself. Throughout her time as a career politician, Kim pocketed $1.2 million in taxpayer-funded salary and benefits, and even took taxpayer-funded per diem on days she didn’t show up to work. But a million apparently wasn’t enough for Young Kim, who also double-dipped with additional “consulting” payments for her boss’ re-election campaign.
Kim took every last dime she could from taxpayers while she worked in the California legislature. Now in Congress, she has the nerve to raise Californians’ taxes. Orange County families deserve better.
PATH TO VICTORY
Young Kim has faced an earlier than expected challenge in her fight for re-election, spending over a million dollars on ads to prevent a primary from the right. The rocky start to her campaign has caused a shift in the district’s competitive rating from Cook Political towards Democrats.
This aligns with historic trends as California’s 40th congressional district continues to move towards Democrats and away from Republicans. Since 2014, Republicans have lost 8 points in their registration share while Democrats have picked up 6 points. In recent elections the district has swung in Democrats’ favor; President Biden performed 3 points better than Secretary Clinton in 2016, and won the district with 51% of the major party vote.
Kim’s near-failure to launch against a poorly funded challenger from the right bodes poorly for her chances this November. Dr. Asif Mahmood is a pillar of his community and boasts a formidable campaign operation. Already, Dr. Mahmood has outraised Kim in fundraising. Furthermore, Dr. Mahmood represents the priorities valued by the working families of this district. As a physician, Dr. Mahmood will defend health care, including reproductive health care. Dr. Mahmood has served Southern California for twenty years – now he is prepared to bring that record of service to Washington.
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