The 2016 state primaries are still more than a year away, but candidates are already positioning themselves to run.
Sukhee Kang Running for SD29
Word among insiders is that former Irvine Councilman Sukhee Kang, a Democrat, has sold his home there and moved to Fullerton and re-registered to vote there in order to run for the 29th Senate District seat being vacated by termed-out Republican Bob Huff. [Huff is running for the LA County Board of Supes seat being vacated by termed-out Republican Mike Antonovich.]
La Habra Councilman Tim Shaw, a Republican, jumped into this race at the beginning of the year, and has already announced the backing of Huff and a number of other elected officials.
Kang will add an interesting wrinkle to the contest. The GOP experienced great success fielding a quartet of Asian-American candidates last year; for example, Sup. Janet Nguyen beating Jose Solorio in the 34th Senate District and Young Kim defeating incumbent Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva in AD65. And earlier this year, Andrew Do edged former state Senator Lou Correa in the 1st Supervisor District special election.
Ethnic solidarity tends to trump party affiliation among tight-knit communities such Korean-Americans. While Kang is a Democrat, don’t be surprised to see a number of Korean-American donors who supported Young Kim and Michelle Steele to show up on Kang’s campaign reports.
Sharon Quirk-Silva Wants A Re-Match With Young Kim
Sharon Quirk-Silva wants another shot at the person who turned her into a former Assemblymember: current Assemblywoman Young Kim. Color me skeptical.
Granted, Democratic turnout will be higher in the 2016 presidential year than in was in the GOP-dominated 2014 off-year election, but Quirk-Silva won’t be facing a target-rich, distracted incumbent with multiple vulnerabilities like she did when she defeated Assemblyman Chris Norby in 2012. Young Kim is an energetic fresh face who has not slowed down since assuming office. And while party registration in AD65 is evenly split more-or-less competitive, it’s a district that wants to be Republican. Challenger Kim beat incumbent Quirk-Silva by nearly 10 points despite being significantly outspent. It’s difficult to see why AD65 voters will decide make another change with those roles reversed.
Young Kim’s campaign consultant, Dave Gilliard, had this to say:
“Sharon Quirk Silva seems desperate to get back to Sacramento but she had her chance and she failed represent the values or priorities of the people she was supposed to represent.”
Another factor to consider: Jon Fleischman writes in BreitbartCA that an initiative to repeal the transgendered bathroom law may very well be on the November 2016 ballot. Quirk-Silva voted for that bill (AB 1266), and Young Kim made opposition to that extreme, exotic position a major plank in her campaign. Letting boys use the girls bathroom may resonate in San Francisco, but it’s out-of-touch with the more common sense attitudes of AD65 residents. It’s one of those issues that tells voters a lot about a candidate’s world view even beyond the issue itself, and having it on the November 2016 ballot would be a reminder to AD65 voters of why they made a change in who represents them in the Assembly.
The post 2016 Elections: Sukhee Kang Moves Into SD29; Quirk-Silva Seeks AD65 Re-Match with Young Kim appeared first on Anaheim Blog.
