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| UC Irvine law professor David Min, a democrat / Courtesy of David Min |
By Jhoo Dong-chan
A Korean-American law professor is running for the U.S. Congress in the 45th congressional district, challenging Republican congresswoman Mimi Walters.
According to the Orange County Register, University of California Irvine law professor David Min decided to run for the post out of frustration with President Donald Trump.
"The straw that broke the camel's back was the Muslim travel ban," Min said.
"You think about what brought my parents here. It was the core American values of tolerance, diversity, economic opportunity and social mobility. What Trump was doing with the Muslim ban was un-American. Who's next on Donald Trump's list?"
Min is a second-generation Korean American whose parents came to the U.S. before he was born.
Having majored in economics at Wharton and receiving his law degree from Harvard, the 41-year-old Korean-American emphasized his vast experience in development and policy implementation including three years with the left-leaning Center for American Progress advocacy think tank.
He was a close aide to current Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer for three years from 2007 when Schumer served as chairman of the Senate Democratic Policy Committee.
The 45th congressional district consists of Irvine, Tustin, Lake Forest, Mission Viejo, Laguna Hills, Rancho Santa Margarita, Laguna Woods, Villa Park, Anaheim Hills and a portion of Orange County where Min said about 20 percent of the district's eligible voters are of Asian or Pacific Island descent.
"Korean-Americans nationwide have displayed an eagerness to support candidates from their community," he said.
In 2012, Korean immigrant Kang Suk-hee, an Irvine Democrat, also raised $755,000 for a campaign against then-incumbent Rep. John Campbell with much of the money coming from Korean-Americans.
Along with Min, another Korean-American candidate Robert Ahn, an Los Angeles city councilman, is also running for Congress in his Los Angeles district.
