Elections
In 2011,Kim announced that she would run for state House District 103 the next year,challenging incumbent Ron Buxton,a fellow Democrat,in the primary election. [6] Buxton ultimately decided to not run for reelection. [7] In the 2012 primary,Kim defeating Roy Christ,Karl Lewis Singleton,and Gloria E. Martin-Roberts,receiving 28.81% of the vote;Christ received 28.03%,Singleton 24.4%,and Martin-Roberts 18.76%. [8] She ran unopposed in the general election. [9]
In the 2014 election,Kim defeated Gina L. Roberson in the Democratic primary,receiving 78.42% of the vote to Roberson's 21.58%. [10] Kim ran unopposed in the 2014 general election. [11]
In 2016,Kim defeated opponent Richard Soto in the Democratic primary, [12] receiving 89.41% of the vote to Soto's 10.58%. [13] She ran unopposed in the 2016 general election. [14]
In the 2018 election,Kim ran unopposed in the Democratic primary. [15] In the November 2018 general election,Kim defeated Republican nominee Anthony Thomas Harrell,receiving 83.98% of the vote to Harrell's 16.02%. [16]
In the 2020 election,Kim defeated opponent Kelvin Maxson in the Democratic primary, [17] receiving 84.95% of the vote to Maxson's 15.05%. She ran unopposed in the 2020 general election. [18]
In the 2022 election,Kim defeated opponent Heather MacDonald in the Democratic primary, [19] receiving 87.37% of the vote to Macdonald's 12.63%. In the November 2022 general election,Kim defeated Republican nominee David D Buell,receiving 89.1% of the vote to Buell's 10.9%. [20]
In the 2024 election,Kim defeated Republican Nick DiFrancisco to become the representative for Pennsylvania Senate District 15. [21] She is only the second Democrat to represent this Harrisburg-based district since 1941,and only the third since 1875.
Tenure
Over several sessions in the state House,Kim was a leader in efforts to increase in Pennsylvania's state minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $15 an hour. [22] [23] Kim also sponsored legislation that would expunge the criminal records of persons convicted of non-violent crimes who do not commit another crime for at least seven years. [12]
Kim,who is Korean American,is the first Asian-American to serve in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. [4]
In 2015,Kim recruited six other House Democrats from inner-city districts across the state to go to block parties to reach out to voters to increase awareness for more education spending in state budget. [24]
In 2019,Kim supported calls by Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse for a state-appointed receiver to assume control of the long-troubled Harrisburg School District,which has been plagued by financial mismanagement,poor academic performance,and high employee turnover. [25] [26]
In 2019,Kim was the sole Democrat in the state House to support a pension reform proposal that would switch a traditional pension plan for state workers to a 401(k)-style plan. [27]
Kim currently sits on the Appropriations,Education,Finance,Insurance,and Local Government committees. [28]
On October 19,2023,Kim announced her campaign for Pennsylvania's 15th State Senate district,held by Republican John DiSanto. Kim also announced she would not seek reelection to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. [29]
