Irene Shin | |
---|---|
![]() Shin in 2025 | |
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates | |
Assumed office January 12, 2022 | |
Preceded by | Ibraheem Samirah |
Constituency | 86th district (2022–2024) 8th district (2024–present) |
Personal details | |
Born | Glendale,California,U.S. | October 7,1987
Political party | Democratic |
Education | University of California,Riverside (BA) |
Irene Shin (born October 7,1987) [1] is an American politician and former non-profit executive serving as a delegate of the Virginia House of Delegates since 2022. Shin represents the 8th district,encompassing parts of Chantilly,Herndon,Oak Hill,and Reston. A Democrat,she defeated incumbent Ibraheem Samirah in the Democratic primary in 2021. [2] On June 3,2025,Shin announced her candidacy for the special election in Virginia's 11th congressional district to replace deceased incumbent Gerry Connolly. However,she lost the primary,placing second behind fellow Democrat James Walkinshaw. [3]
The daughter of Korean immigrants,she was born in Glendale,California and raised in Greater Los Angeles. [4] She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of California,Riverside in 2010. [5]
Shin has worked on various Democratic political campaigns,including as finance director for then-Senator Kamala Harris. [6] Until 2024,she was the executive director of non-profit Virginia Civic Engagement Table. [4] Shin serves on the Tysons Transportation District Service Advisory Board for Fairfax County. [7]
In December 2024,Shin was selected to join the 2025-2026 Prenatal-to-Three Innovation Fellowship cohort,hosted by Future Caucus for young legislators invested in building bipartisan policy addressing key healthcare issues. [8] [9]
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]
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]
She moved to Virginia in 2014 and lives in Herndon. [4] She identifies as Buddhist. [5] She is married to Peter.[ citation needed ]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Irene Shin | 3,415 | 51.7 | |
Democratic | Ibraheem Samirah (incumbent) | 3,185 | 48.3 | |
Total votes | 6,600 | 100.0 |
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 |
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 |
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% |