How do you win a district filled with recent converts to the Democratic Party? In the 40th district of California, the answer is to run a recent convert named Joe Kerr. He is a former firefighter and union head who has taken up the mantle of running against Rep. Young Kim. He has help from usually GOP-leaning union interest groups to accomplish that goal.
Retired Fire captain and California Labor leader Joe Kerr has landed major labor endorsements, critical to winning the upcoming primary and defeating Young Kim.
Joining Teamsters Joint Council 42 and Painters District Council 36 in endorsing Joe Kerr for Congress include:
- Orange County Labor Federation
- International Association of Fire Fighters
- Chino Valley Professional Firefighters Association
- Orange County Professional Firefighters Association
- Orange County Employees Association UA Local 250 (Refrigeration Fitters, Steamfitters, and Welders)
General Secretary Treasurer of the IAFF, Frank Lima, stated, “As the former President of the United Firefighters of Los Angeles City, I had the opportunity to work with Joe for many years, and I saw firsthand Joe’s passion, commitment, and work ethic representing and protecting the rights of working families and first responders throughout California. I am confident that he will bring his tireless work ethic to Washington DC to fight hard for all of the citizens in CA-40. On behalf of the 340,000 men and women of the International Association of Fire Fighters, I am excited to endorse Joe for congress in California’s 40th District. I ask that you support Joe.
The primary results had Rep. Kim winning 56% of the votes, leaving Joe Kerr a gargantuan task to oust Rep. Young Kim. The question for Joe Kerr is whether or not he has what it takes to overturn that deficit and win over this district.
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Rep. Young Kim is part of what I am calling the #Beatable16. These Republicans reside in districts that Biden won in 2020. Joe Kerr is one of the 16 Democratic candidates in the Beatable16 fund that I am fundraising for.
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Joe Kerr for California-40
Campaign Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | DONATE | Volunteer
What’s the Big Idea?
THIS DISTRICT IS LIKELY REPUBLICAN, with an R+2 PVI
2022 election results in CA-40 by precinct.
Like most of Orange County, this district is relatively new at voting for Democratic politicians. Orange County traditionally has been the county of Reagan and Nixon, and Democrats had very little hope of winning the county thanks to white flight from Los Angeles along with the traditional citrus growers rejecting the New Deal Coalition.
In recent times, this county rejected Bill Clinton, Al Gore, John Kerry, and Barack Obama twice. It wasn’t until Hillary Clinton ran against Trump that Orange County pulled the lever for a Democratic candidate. This area barely voted for Biden in 2020, with a 49.9% to 48.0% victory. We could not capitalize on this win in 2022, with Rep. Young Kim winning in a 56.8% to 43.2% landslide.
Kerr has his work cut out for him, as during the 2024 Top 2 primary Republicans outpaced the Democratic votes 56-44% in this district. The Top 2 votes usually line up with the vote will go in November.
Here's where races are won for us in the 40th district.
- Orange and Tustin: These cities in the northern section of the district are absolutely critical to the chances of Kerr. Biden narrowly won Orange, and he handily won Tustin. A poor showing in either city will spell doom for Kerr.
- Laguna and Aliso Viejo: These cities in the southern reaches of the 40th district significantly went for Biden in 2020, and in order to win, Kerr needs to replicate those numbers. That is easier said than done, as these wealthy denizens are much more GOP leaning down the ballot and their recent conversion to our side may be more revulsion over Trump than anything else.
Here’s where we need to keep the margins down, or we will lose.
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Mission Viejo/Rancho Santa Margarita/Lake Forest: Biden narrowly won each of these cities in Orange County, and Kerr needs to match those previous high watermarks if he is to pull off the upset this year. Once again, these towns are much more GOP-leaning down the ballot.
- Yorba Linda/Anaheim Hills/Villa Park: This area of the district is the Republican anchor, with very few Democratic voters to be found as these are still white-flight suburbs of Los Angeles. Kerr likely is going to do poorly in these cities, and he will have to make up for it elsewhere in the district.
Who is Joe Kerr?
Joe Kerr is a heroic firefighter and first responder in Orange County, California.
Joe Kerr has been a firefighter nearly his entire life, having served the Orange County Fire Authority for over 34 years. He has responded to every natural disaster in Orange County during that time. He is the first President of the Orange County Professional Firefighters Association, and the Vice President of the Orange County AFL-CIO. He also sits on the Regional Water Quality Control Board.
Much of this information comes from his campaign website, but this questionnaire was also very helpful. This political brief was also very helpful and gives a background on the race.
- Abortion Rights Ally. Joe Kerr lists abortion as his #1 issue on his website. He mentions how important these issues are to him by stating his son Joey was conceived through IVF. He would vote to protect abortion rights, IVF, contraception, and birth control. He would also champion paid maternity leave when in Congress.
- Climate Crisis. Kerr as a firefighter makes excellent points about the role of wildfires in the climate crisis. He would push for AI solutions in detecting and modeling the spread of wildfires. He would increase funds for fire fighting and responsible fire management practices. These policies would also help lower the increasingly unaffordable insurance rates too!
- Union Strong. Kerr has been involved in the labor movement most of his life, fighting back perceptions of it being a communist front in formerly very conservative Orange County. His mission is protecting workers’ rights to organize and seek fair wages, contracts and benefits. He would be a vote for legislation similar to the Build Back Better plan for more union jobs.
- Gun Safety Champion. Kerr notes that he frequents a spot that had a mass shooting, making the issue more personal for him. He calls for an assault weapons ban, universal background checks, and red flag laws. He’s also pointing out that limiting high capacity magazines and enforcing waiting periods will also help with the gun crisis in this country.
- Foreign Policy Focus. Foreign Policy Focus. Kerr is a vote for continued aid in Ukraine and for our other democratic allies across the world. This area of policy is an acknowledged weakness of his, so he promises to listen to the experts and his other colleagues in order to come up with the best solution for each country we are aiding. He will also listen to the views of his constituents.
- Immigration Supporter. Kerr sees the bipartisan border security bill that was tanked by Trump as a good starting point. He would add funds to expedite the asylum process, funds for more access to legal services, better and more humane regional processing centers, and better training for key personnel. He is also a supporter of clearer pathways to citizenship.
- AI and Automation. I found Kerr’s answer to the looming AI and automation crisis interesting. He would balance regulation to protect people and jobs with a more laissez-faire policy when it comes to the different applications that AI and automation can provide. He mentions the benefits of AI in medical research as a positive, while AI-generated videos and images as a drawback.
Who is Rep. Young Kim?
Rep. Young Kim is more of a traditional conservative than a MAGA acolyte in Congress.
Rep. Young Kim was born in South Korea. Her family first moved to Guam while she was in middle school, and then to Hawai’i later on. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Southern California. After a stint in the business world, she came to the attention of former Rep. Ed Royce. She served him in various roles before running for the California Assembly and eventually for Congress. She lost her first Congressional race in 2018 before winning in 2020
- Forced Birth Maniac. Kim voted against the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would’ve codified Roe v. Wade. She even voted against ensuring that women have a right to contraception. She would be a vote for a national abortion ban, and would not protect birth control, IVF, and other important rights and issues for women.
- Religious Bigot. Kim also voted against the Equality Act, which would make LGBTQ+ Americans a protected class in discrimination cases under the Civil Rights Act and Fair Housing Act. As late as 2018, she was against same-sex marriage, and she voted against the Respect for Marriage Act, which would’ve protected the right nationwide. She cites “religious liberty” as the reason to vote against such measures.
- Trump Impeachment Opponent. Kim voted against the second impeachment of former President Trump, citing that she supported his censure but not impeachment. Of course, this came after the heinous 1/6 insurrection and Trump’s role in it. While she has been mildly critical of Trump in the past, especially when he attacked Asian-Americans, she protected him when it mattered most.
- Repealing the ACA. In her first race for Congress, Kim opposed the ACA and called for its repeal. She staunchly opposes any efforts to pass single-payer or Medicare for All, including a public option, writing “Extreme socialist healthcare proposals that advocate for a government takeover of healthcare would eliminate private insurance and drastically increase taxes while failing to improve the quality and affordability of critical health services.”
- High Cost of Living. Kim has done very little to alleviate the insane cost of living in southern California. She voted against capping the price of prescription drugs, voted against measures to prevent gas price gouging, and voted against lowering the costs of groceries and food. She even voted against good-paying jobs through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
- Speaker Debacle. Kim voted for Jim Jordan as Speaker, as well as Mike Johnson for Speaker. In spite of her “moderate” stances on many issues, she was loyal to the party and voted for leaders who wouldn’t advance or would undo her “moderate” votes on many issues.
- Climate Crisis. Kim does support tepid measures to fix the climate crisis, but she also has plenty of support from oil companies in her donations. Instead of quickly moving away from Big Oil to solve the climate crisis, she slows down progress with an incremental approach that is too little, too late. Best thing I can say is that she isn’t a climate denier.
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Immigration Hardliner. Kim supported 2023 House extreme bill: “Secure the Border Act” “The Secure the Border Act represents the strongest and most consequential border security and immigration enforcement legislation to date—fulfilling key promises made by Republicans in their 2022 Commitment to America to keep our cities safe and regain control of the southern border. This critical legislation includes targeted policies to end the abuse of our asylum system and parole laws, mandates completion of the border wall, provides physical and personnel resources to secure the border, and strengthens immigration enforcement mechanisms.“ Kim was a Yea on a recent border bill, a bill that lost when 21 Republicans voted Nay.
How Can You Help?
This race has yet to gain the attention of the DCCC, with Joe Kerr yet to make it to the Red to Blue program that highlights challengers that the organization feels have a chance of winning. That means that Kerr is relying on the grassroots for donations, volunteers, and messaging. You’ll see that he needs help with all three areas.
In terms of fundraising, Joe Kerr is struggling. He’s self-funded most of his bid for Congress, which means that he isn’t attracting the small-dollar donors that he needs to raise significant sums of money. He only raised $160k, but self-funded $468k for a grand total of $628k in the Q1 reporting period. Rep. Young Kim is a fundraising dynamo, raising $1.29M in the same period. Kim has $2.95M stored away, while Kerr only has $398k to spend right now. This won’t be a race if that disparity continues. Please send a donation to Joe Kerr!
In order to overcome a shortfall in funds, Kerr will need grassroots volunteers to go door to door to get his message out. Volunteering for a campaign is a major commitment of time and energy, so be prepared for that if you volunteer. There are an infinite number of ways you can help, ranging from data entry to texting for campaign contributions to canvassing. Join the Kerr campaign today if you live in southern California!
It is social media where Kerr is at his weakest. He created his campaign accounts very recently and doesn’t have very many followers or content on any of his social media. I’m worried that his message won’t get out and that this deficit will hold him back in the quest to unseat Rep. Young Kim. Please follow him on social media, and give him a boost. Hopefully, that will encourage him to post more content, because to me it is a red flag for his campaign right now..
Don’t be fooled by the fact that President Biden won this district narrowly. This district has a history of voting for the GOP, and it is a very recent convert to voting for Democrats at any level. Joe Kerr himself is a former Republican, which could be an asset in this district if he can raise his name recognition. I’m not one to give up on one of the #Beatable16, because we need to seriously contest each one of those 16 districts.
Rep. Young Kim is the type of politician that California’s 40th district likes to send to Congress. Her landslide victory in 2022 proves that she is well-liked and will be a formidable foe in any election. She may already be entrenched in Congress, with this election being the last chance to oust her before she becomes like other “moderates” in the GOP. She is in the 30th most vulnerable GOP seat according to Daily Kos Elections, showing that she isn’t a priority target for the DCCC.
The question for Joe Kerr is whether or not he has what it takes to oust Rep. Young Kim. He has a compelling biography and the correct positions on the issues to win. Hopefully he can work on the red flags for his campaign and put something together in time to seriously contest the November election.
Joe Kerr for California-40
Campaign Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | DONATE | Volunteer
Let's take back the House by targeting the 16 districts that Biden won in 2020 that have R reps! That brings us to the Beatable16 Fund! Please donate and then share a link to this site on your social media! #Beatable16