Orange County Supervisor Shawn Nelson told City News Service Tuesday that he’s running for the 39th Congressional District seat currently held by fellow Republican Ed Royce, whose retirement announcement Monday took many political observers by surprise.
The announcement comes on the same day that Royce, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, endorsed a former staffer to succeed him.
Young Kim, who unseated Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva in 2014 only to have Quirk-Silva take the seat back in 2016, was Royce’s choice, campaign consultant Dave Gilliard said.
Royce, who lives in Fullerton and has offices in Brea and Rowland Heights, has served in Congress since 1993, previously serving 10 years in the state Senate.
Royce’s decision to not seek another term in November stunned Republican leaders on Monday. The jockeying began immediately, with Supervisors Nelson and Michelle Steel among the more notables rumored to be mulling a run.
“We have an opportunity to elect an outstanding community leader to Congress — Young Kim,” Royce said in a statement.
“I can attend to Young’s dedication and abilities because she worked for me for almost 20 years, serving as a key advisor and community liaison,” Royce said. “She knows our district, its people and its needs. She is a tireless and dedicated public servant.”
Royce said Kim “will be an effective voice for middle class families and for policies that keep our country secure, grow jobs and increase economic opportunities for the people of our 39th District.”
President Donald Trump on Monday formally nominated Marie Royce, Ed Royce’s wife, to be assistant secretary of state for educational and cultural affairs.
State Republican National Committeeman Shawn Steel said his wife, Michelle Steel, had been taking a steady stream of calls from officials in Sacramento and Washington, D.C., on a possible bid herself.
Shawn Steel believes Royce would have had no problem getting re- elected given that he was re-elected 57-42 in 2016 when Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton won Orange County for her party for the first time since Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Any other Republican candidate is going to have a tougher time, Steel said.
Democrat Gil Cisneros’ campaign sent out a statement in the wake of Royce’s announcement claiming to have more than $1 million in hand and touting recent internal polling that showed he was statistically tied with Royce.
Democrat Andy Thorburn, who is among a field of several Democrats and a couple of independents expected to run this year, told City News Service he had no insight into Royce’s decision to retire, but he said the congressman had lost touch with his constituents.
Thorburn said the district’s demographics are tilting toward a constituency that favors more progressive politics.
“You have a district that’s a third Latino and a third various Asian groups,” Thorburn said. “When he was first elected it was a complete turnaround… The district has changed and he hasn’t.”
Royce, in a statement released by the Foreign Affairs Committee on Monday, said: “It’s truly an honor to represent the people of California’s 39th Congressional District. Every day, it’s my mission to fight for freedom, opportunity and a limited government. In recent years, we’ve made a real difference. From Sacramento to Washington, we’ve enacted critical reforms to combat the modern-day slavery of human trafficking. We’ve achieved common-sense tax and regulatory reforms to help small businesses and middle-class families realize their American dream. And with great persistence, we’ve helped shut down the global ivory trade to save the world’s most majestic animals and deny vital funding to terrorist groups and criminal networks.
“In this final year of my Foreign Affairs Committee chairmanship, I want to focus fully on the urgent threats facing our nation, including: the brutal, corrupt and dangerous regimes in Pyongyang and Tehran, Vladimir Putin’s continued efforts to weaponize information to fracture western democracies and growing terrorist threats in Africa and Central Asia. With this in mind, and with the support of my wife Marie, I have decided not to seek re-election in November.
“I want to extend my deepest appreciation to the people of the 39th District for entrusting me with the responsibility to represent them. Our district is blessed to be diverse, and I’ve been successful in part because of my great staff and the relationships we’ve built with families, businesses and leaders in each of our communities. We’ve personally helped countless Southern Californians.
“Orange County will always be home to Marie and me, and we look forward to being with all our friends at Lunar New Years, Korean American Days, Fourth of Julys and many other community events for years to come.”
–City News Service