UPDATE: One correction from the comments.  Both Dana Rohrabacher and John Campbell are from Irvine and may well be in the race for this seat.  If that’s the case, the June primary may be far more interesting than what I’ve indicated in the post.  Dems would likely stick to Kang, but DTS are a big wildcard.  Who knows who emerges from that 3-way tussle to fight in November.

We still aren’t sure exactly what the district lines will be, but we do know that a perhaps newly competitive Orange County district based in Irvine will have a real race.  The popular Mayor of Irvine, Sukhee Kang, has announced that he is running for the seat.

“I look forward to running in California’s new open primary system in which all candidates are on the same ballot, and every voter regardless of party registration can vote for any candidate.” Kang said.

“As someone who has served in local government for close to a decade, I will bring a direct, hands-on approach and vast regional experience to Congress. Our district deserves a representative who will protect and fight for the interests of the people of Orange County,” said Kang.

Kang was the first Korean-American Mayor of a major US City (Irvine is the 96th largest US City) and is a well-known figure throughout the Korean-American Community.  The top-2 race seems unlikely to have a major impact in this race, as you wouldn’t expect to have any high-profile challengers to either Campbell or Kang within their own parties.  We’ll likely see a Kang/Campbell showdown in November in the same way we did last year.  You would think Campbell would win the lower-turnout June primary, but who knows what our election schedule next year will really look like.

Kang is a serious candidate for this race, and fits the district.  He certainly won’t contend with Rep. Barbara Lee on the progressive spectrum, but he would represent that district in a far more pragmatic and less dogmatic way than John Campbell.

IRVINE MAYOR SUKHEE KANG EMBARKS ON HISTORIC CAMPAIGN FOR UNITED STATES CONGRESS

Vows to Bring the Same Forward-Thinking Leadership to Washington that has Helped Irvine become one of the Safest, Smartest and Greenest Large Cities in the Country

Irvine, CA – Irvine Mayor Sukhee Kang today announced his candidacy for the newly reconfigured Orange County Coastal seat with the support of local constituents and leaders from throughout the Orange Country region.  The new seat has not yet been assigned a number, but the current proposed outlines correspond generally to Congressional District 48.

“I look forward to running in California’s new open primary system in which all candidates are on the same ballot, and every voter regardless of party registration can vote for any candidate.” Kang said.

“As someone who has served in local government for close to a decade, I will bring a direct, hands-on approach and vast regional experience to Congress. Our district deserves a representative who will protect and fight for the interests of the people of Orange County,” said Kang.  

After two successful terms on the City Council, Mayor Kang was elected by the citizens of Irvine in 2008, becoming the first Korean American to serve as mayor of a major U.S. city. In November 2010, Kang was overwhelmingly reelected with more than 64 percent of the vote.  During his term in the Irvine City Council, Mayor Kang has been recognized as an effective leader who finds solutions to public safety, education, quality of life and economic vitality.  Under his leadership, Irvine has continued to be recognized as one of the safest, smartest, greenest and best-managed cities in America.  Some major accomplishments include:    

FBI’s Safest Large City in America (seven years in a row)

Money Magazine’s Best Places to Live in California 2008

Business Week’s Best City to Ride out the Recession (2008)

2008 National Resources Defense Council’s 2009 Smartest Cities (2nd in California)

One of the 100 Best communities for Young People.

“Mayor Kang is known as Irvine’s ‘education mayor’ for his leadership efforts fighting against state budget cuts,” said former Irvine Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Gwen Gross.  “I am supporting his candidacy because I know he will continue fighting for the right issues as a member of Congress.”

Mayor Kang’s own American success story has helped guide his inclusive and engaging leadership style.  Active throughout the Irvine community, he has forged strong and supportive relationships with the business community, education community, and many cultural, service and non-profit organizations that serve the citizens of Irvine.  Prior to his service on the Irvine City Council, Mayor Kang served as a Governor’s appointee on the California Workforce Investment Board and was the Mayor’s appointee to the Irvine Finance Commission.  

In addition to his official City responsibilities, Mayor Kang serves on the Orange County Great Park Board, Orange County Fire Authority, Southern California Association of Governments Regional Council, Orange County Council of Governments, League of California Cities Orange County Division, U.S. Conference of Mayors, and the National League of Cities.

Mayor Kang and his wife Joanne have lived in Orange County for 34 years.  Their son Alan, a graduate of UC San Diego and earned his MBA from USC Marshall School of Business, is a Senior Scientist at Johnson & Johnson ; their daughter Angie, a graduate from UC Berkeley’s School of Law (Boalt Hall,) is currently an attorney with Latham and Watkins.