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“From voting against historic investments for Orange County families and small businesses, to spearheading efforts to ban reproductive health care and allowing corporations to price gouge California customers, Young Kim has thrown her constituents under the bus far too many times. Meanwhile, Joe Kerr – a former Republican himself – personally understands that MAGA enablers like Young Kim have left Orange County behind. Kerr has served Orange County for decades and is building the coalition necessary to defeat Kim this November. In Congress, he’ll fight to bring back bipartisan solutions, lower costs, and expand health care access for Orange County families,” said DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene.
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To: Interested Parties
From: Dan Gottlieb
Date: March 11, 2024
Subject: The Case Against Young Kim
Young Kim has proven herself to be the wrong representative for Orange County – after coming to Congress she’s voted against her community’s interests time and time again. While Kim masquerades as a moderate in Orange County, she’s voted to throw Orange County taxpayers under the bus far too often. From undercutting working families and allowing corporations to charge exorbitant prices for prescription drugs, to voting against access to contraception and refusing to protect reproductive rights nationwide, including in California, it’s clear she’s left Orange County behind.
No one understands how to communicate that message to voters better than Joe Kerr: a 34-year Orange County firefighter captain and California labor leader running to represent the hard-working families across California’s 40th District. Kerr understands that, when it comes to protecting our families, political games don’t serve anyone, and we need a bipartisan coalition of problem solvers to fix the mess in Washington. Kerr will work with anyone for the good of Orange County residents, and he has the broad base of support necessary to flip this Biden+2 district and oust Young Kim from Congress this November.
KIM IS OUT OF TOUCH WITH ORANGE COUNTY VALUES
Kim’s out-of-touch voting record matches up with the type of leaders she’s chosen to align herself with within the Republican Party, openly promoting the likes of Jim Jordan and MAGA Mike Johnson to lead the GOP agenda in Congress.
Making matters worse, Young Kim has become one of the staunchest opponents of reproductive rights in the entire country throughout her tenure in Washington D.C. – voting against the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would restore Roe v. Wade, and voting against ensuring a woman’s right to contraception while representing a district that supported codifying abortion rights by 9 points in 2022.
By contrast, Joe Kerr – a former Republican himself – won’t be afraid to cross party lines for the good of Orange County families. 22 years ago, Joe and his wife, China, underwent the in-vitro fertilization (IVF) process. Because of IVF, which was protected by Roe v. Wade, Joe and China are proud parents of Joey – their greatest joy. This personal experience ingrained in Joe a deeper commitment to protecting women’s health care and reproductive freedom. Republicans across the country, including Young Kim, want to strip future families of the same joy, opportunity, and freedom.
KIM IS COSTING ORANGE COUNTY CONSTITUENTS IN CONGRESS
As Orange County families struggle with costs, Kim has tried to stand in the way of nearly every effort to help ease the burden on working Californians. In Congress, she refused to vote in favor of capping the price of prescription drugs, and refused to lower gas and grocery costs.
Kim even voted against the rights of California workers and against efforts to improve Orange County roads, bridges, and infrastructure projects. All the while, she’s taken over $150,000 from Big Oil while failing to stop them from gouging California drivers at the pump.
By contrast, Joe Kerr, as President of the Orange County Professional Firefighters Association, worked with both Republicans and Democrats to implement policy changes that benefitted first responders, firefighters, and taxpayers across Orange County – and he’ll do the same in Congress.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
Orange County Register: Orange County Republicans Kim and Steel choose MAGA over governing. [Orange County Register, 10/25/23]
“Nevertheless, Jordan and Johnson both secured the votes of two Orange County members who should have known better. […] Kim represents the 40th district, which includes Brea, Chino Hills, Corona and Mission Viejo. That district is more solidly Republican, although Joe Biden eked out a victory there. We would have expected both members to hold out for a speaker candidate who was less of an ideological rabble-rouser.”
“Kim wouldn’t talk about Donald Trump, saying she was too busy focusing on her election to discuss him. She was most interested in ‘uniting us.’ And yet with the speaker vote, they both gave in to the most extreme form of Trumpism. We look forward to hearing their justifications as the congressional races get underway.”
Lake County Record-Bee: House Republican dysfunction couldn’t come at a worse time. [Lake County Record-Bee, 10/24/23]
Orange County Register: Retired Orange County fire captain is running for Congress.[Orange County Register, 5/31/23]
“Retired fire captain Joe Kerr is aiming to flip California’s Republican-held 40th congressional district in 2024. A second-generation firefighter who served with the Orange County Fire Authority and Orange County Fire Department for over 30 years, Kerr said he’s running to untangle the “gridlock” in Washington. ‘For the last three decades, I’ve been running toward the problem — inside burning buildings, putting out fires, responding to disasters, and saving lives,’ Kerr said. ‘We need someone who will run toward the problems facing our nation.’”
PATH TO VICTORY
California’s 40th congressional district continues to move towards Democrats and away from Republicans in registration shares. Since 2016, Republicans have lost nearly 6 points in their registration share while Democrats have picked up over 5 points. From 2016 to 2020, the district swung in Democrats’ favor; President Biden performed more than 3 points better than Secretary Clinton in 2016 and won the district with 51% of the major party vote. And with a sizable population of moderate Republicans who’ve grown tired of the party’s far-right lurch, a former Republican himself could present the right alternative.
Now more than ever, the families of California’s 40th need a leader who will go to Washington to stand up for their rights and get things done. With a huge number of swayable moderates and NPP voters casting ballots, Kerr presents the ideal contrast to Kim’s enabling of the far-right. A retired Orange County fire captain, former Republican, and long-time California labor leader, Joe Kerr is ready to lower the temperature in Washington and mobilize a broad coalition of support to oust Young Kim from Congress. |
