April 21, 2017
Democrat Kia Hamadanchy has announced he will run for the Congress in Orange County, California, next year becoming the third Democrat to announce a desire to challenge Republican Rep. Mimi Walters for the seat.
With the plummeting popularity of President Trump, Democrats all over the country are chomping at the bit to try to oust Republicans from Congress. Orange County, where large numbers of Iranian-American reside, has long been a reliable GOP bastion. But Trump lost it last fall and Democrats smell blood.
Hamadanchy said he decided to run the night the Trump administration’s ban on travel from several predominantly Muslim countries, including Iran, was first announced. He said his mother asked him if they should sell their Orange County home and move to Canada.
Hamadanchy is 31 years old, clearing the constitutional hurdle requiring that congressmen be at least 30 years old, but still quite young for a congressional candidate.
He was a legislative assistant to US Sen. Sherrod Brown, Democrat of Ohio, until about a month ago, and he enters the race with Brown’s endorsement.
Hamadanchy’s parents fled the Iranian revolution, and he grew up in Orange County, graduating from Irvine’s North-wood High School. He has a law degree from the University of Michigan and also worked for former US Sen. Tom Harkin, Democrat of Iowa.
Two other lawyers, Katie Porter and Dave Min, each announced plans days before Hamadanchy to run for the seat in 2018.
The three Democrats have called Walters out of touch with the district’s changing population for supporting President Trump.
Democrats are targeting the Orange County district in 2018 in part because it chose Hillary Clinton by 5 percentage points in November’s presidential election. But Walters secured a second term with 58.6 percent of the vote, and it may well be difficult for her Democratic challengers to win the seat.
As for other Orange County Republicans, four Democrats are already lined up against Rep. Dana Rohrabacher while Rep. Darrell Issa, an Arab-American, has drawn two Democratic challengers from the Orange County portion of his district
It is still 13 months until the primary, so others may join the race.
“I think there are a lot of good candidates,” said Hama-danchy. “The hope is that one of us [in each race] will be able to distinguish themselves in stature and fundraising. The first hurdle is who’s going to raise the most money — that’s a measure of who knows how to run for office.”
Hamadanchy’s two Democratic opponents are both Harvard-educated law professors at the University of California, Irvine. The congressional district extends from Mission Viejo to Anaheim Hills. Hamadanchy said the district has the second largest population of Iranians among the nation’s congressional districts.
Hamadanchy quit his job with Brown last month to move back to Irvine and launch his bid full time. “I’m the only candidate who’s given up everything for this,” he said. “I’m very confident in my ability to outwork everybody else.”
Like Hamadanchy, Min — the son of Korean immigrants —said Trump’s travel ban was the final trigger in his decision to run. And while Min is anticipating strong financial support from Korean-Americans, Hama-danchy expects significant backing from Iranian-Americans.
