Immigration lawyer steps up to challenge Republican incumbent in OC swing district

Democrats since 2020 have dreamed of ousting Republican Rep. Young Kim from her Orange County seat, only to watch their candidates get trounced by near double digits.

But that hasn’t deterred Lisa Ramirez, an immigration attorney, best known for helping free a detained migrant father of three U.S. Marine sons, from jumping into the race for 2026.

The daughter of an immigrant mother, Ramirez cited what she described as the wave of mass detentions, the lack of due process, and President Donald Trump’s disregard for court orders and the rule of law as main reasons for running.

“To me, this race has fundamentally been about protecting our Constitution, our democracy, and ultimately my community,” Ramirez said in an interview with CalMatters before her campaign launch today.

Kim is one of four incumbent California congressional Republicans whose seats the nonpartisan Cook Political Report has identified as somewhat competitive.

While she’s never held public office, Ramirez points to her decades of advocacy, legal aid, and pro bono work as proof she has the public service résumé to represent Orange County in Congress. She said it was a “no brainer” that she would represent Narciso Barranco, the Orange County landscaper whose arrest by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement in June went viral after several community organizations and elected officials referred him to her office.

“I'm kind of a fan of the underdog, if you will,” Ramirez said. “I've worked really hard to create a reputation that when the stakes are high and cases are really challenging, I'm kind of the go-to person.”

Ramirez joins a crowded Democratic field, which includes former Chino Valley Unified School District Board member Christina Gagnier, self-funding art dealer Esther Kim Varet, and Kim’s most recent challenger Joe Kerr, who lost the seat by more than 10 percentage points last year.

Kim has proven a formidable foe for Democratic challengers ever since California’s 40th District was redrawn from a liberal stronghold to a purple swing seat after the 2020 census. With nearly $4 million cash on hand, her eventual opponent will face an uphill battle. And that’s before Gov. Gavin Newsom’s redistricting plan, which if approved by voters on a widely anticipated Nov. 4 special election, would draw the 40th District into an even redder seat.

But Ramirez says she plans to run no matter what voters decide on the maps.

“My commitment is to flip the seat and to contribute to the flipping of the House,” she said. “I'm in it to win this campaign, and we'll take it regardless of the geographical boundaries.”

This article was originally published on CalMatters and was republished under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license.