Irene Shin

See also: 2021 Virginia House of Delegates election § District 86

She announced a primary campaign against Delegate Ibraheem Samirah for District 86 in 2021. ^[10] Despite challenging an incumbent Democrat, Shin received support from the Virginia Democratic Party establishment including multiple state legislators. ^[11] She defeated Samirah in the June primary by 230 votes and out-raised him by over $100,000. ^[2]

She defeated Republican Julie Perry in the general election by a margin of 65–34%. ^[12]

Tenure

On June 3, 2025, Shin announced her candidacy for the special election in Virginia's 11th congressional district to replace deceased incumbent Gerry Connolly. ^[3] U.S. senator Andy Kim from New Jersey endorsed her and was featured in her opening campaign video. ^[13] She finished second in the firehouse primary on June 28 with 14.3% of the vote, losing to James Walkinshaw. ^[14]

Personal life

She moved to Virginia in 2014 and lives in Herndon. ^[4] She identifies as Buddhist. ^[5] She is married to Peter.^{[ citation needed ]}

Irene Shin
Shin in 2025
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates
Incumbent
Assumed office January 12, 2022

Virginia's 86th House of Delegates district Democratic primary, 2021 ^[15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Irene Shin	3,415	51.7
	Democratic	Ibraheem Samirah (incumbent)	3,185	48.3
Total votes			6,600	100.0

Virginia's 86th House of Delegates district, 2021 ^[16]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Irene Shin	19,296	65.4
	Republican	Julie Perry	10,116	34.3
	Write-in		90	0.3
Total votes			29,502	100.0
	Democratic hold

2023

Virginia's 8th House of Delegates District, 2023 general election ^[17]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Irene Shin (incumbent)	14,851	67.65%
	Republican	Max Fisher	7,023	31.99%
	Write-in		79	0.36%
Total votes			21,953	100%
	Democratic hold

2025

2025 Virginia 11th Congressional District Democratic primary results ^[18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	James Walkinshaw	22,403	59.64%
	Democratic	Irene Shin	5,368	14.29%
	Democratic	Stella Pekarsky	5,043	13.43%
	Democratic	Amy Roma	2,697	7.18%
	Democratic	Dan Lee	710	1.89%
	Democratic	Leopoldo Martínez Nucete	498	1.33%
	Democratic	Amy Papanu	396	1.05%
	Democratic	Priya Punnoose	232	0.62%
	Democratic	Candice Bennett	190	0.51%
	Democratic	Ross William Branstetter IV	25	0.07%
Total votes			37,562	100.00%

References

1. "Irene Shin". Virginia Public Access Project. Archived from the original on 2025-07-04. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
2. Cline, Nathaniel (June 9, 2021). "Shin unseats Samirah for Democratic nomination in 86th House District race; to face Herndon teacher Julie Perry in November". Loudoun Times-Mirror . Retrieved December 3, 2021.
3. Serre, Jared (June 3, 2025). "JUST IN: Youngkin schedules special election to replace Rep. Gerry Connolly". FFX Now. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
4. Wilson, Patrick (June 11, 2021). "Meet the three progressive women who unseated attention-grabbing men in Democratic primaries". Richmond Times-Dispatch . Retrieved December 3, 2021.
5. "Virginia House of Delegates Member Listings". virginiageneralassembly.gov. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
6. O'Connell, Michael (October 21, 2021). "Candidate Profile: Irene Shin For VA House Of Delegates". Patch . Retrieved December 3, 2021.
7. "Tysons Transportation Service District Advisory Board". Fairfax County . Retrieved December 3, 2021.
8. Wyatt, Garrett (2024-12-10). "64 Gen Z and Millennial Lawmakers Chosen for Bipartisan Future Caucus Fellowship". Future Caucus. Retrieved 2025-07-14.
9. "Healthcare". Future Caucus. Retrieved 2025-07-14.
10. Cline, Nathaniel (February 23, 2021). "Herndon community organizer announces candidacy for 86th District House seat". Loudoun Times-Mirror . Retrieved December 3, 2021.
11. Flynn, Meagen (June 9, 2021). "Four Democratic incumbents, one Republican ousted in Virginia House primaries". Washington Post . Retrieved December 3, 2021.
12. Moore, Jack (November 3, 2021). "GOP flips enough seats to tie Va. House of Delegates; some races remain too close to call". WTOP-FM . Retrieved December 3, 2021.
13. Blanchard, Jack; Burns, Dasha (June 3, 2025). "Playbook: Trump turns the screws". Politico . Retrieved June 3, 2025.
14. Serre, Jared (June 28, 2025). "BREAKING: James Walkinshaw wins Democratic nod in Congressional special election". FFXnow. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
15. "2021 June Democratic Primary". Virginia Department of Elections. Archived from the original on 2021-06-10. Retrieved 2021-12-03.
16. "Nov. 2, 2021 General Election Statewide Candidates". Virginia Department of Elections. Archived from the original on 2021-07-09. Retrieved 2021-12-03.
17. "Member, House of Delegates (8th District)". elections.virginia.gov. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
18. "CD-11 UNOFFICIAL RESULTS". Google Docs. 11th Congressional District Democratic Committee. June 28, 2025. Retrieved 29 June 2025.