Nina Linh, an entrepreneur and nonprofit founder, is the latest Democrat to jump in the 2026 race for California’s 40th Congressional District, mounting a challenge to Rep. Young Kim, R-Anaheim Hills.
Linh is entering what’s expected to be a competitive race in a district that includes parts of Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
Linh said she is running to address what she described as chaos sown by elected officials in Washington, D.C.
“Despite working harder than ever, many still struggle to afford a decent life in the community we call home,” Linh said. “Securing health care, housing or access to a meaningful education for our kids should not make us feel hopeless. Worst of all, Washington is not listening and is perpetuating more uncertainty in our daily lives.”
Linh said she launched a listening tour across the district earlier this year, speaking with community college students, seniors and local residents about concerns over health coverage and housing.
“I’ve spoken to people in our community, and I listened to the stories, and heard their fears and their concerns, and I felt called to serve, because we’re not getting the type of leadership in DC that we deserve,” she said.
Linh criticized Kim, saying she “lacks the leadership and the courage to stand up” against what she sees as harmful policies being pushed by the Trump administration, including potential cuts to education and Medicaid.
Callie Strock, a campaign spokesperson for Kim, said the congresswoman’s “record of bipartisan results speak for itself, no matter how many new ways opponents try to spin it.”
Kim has said she supports reforming Medicaid but won’t back a budget reconciliation package that cuts coverage, even recently signing a letter to House leadership with other battleground Republicans stating that position.
Linh was born in Vietnam and immigrated to the U.S. as an infant. She said her mother worked multiple jobs to support the family and that public education was key to her eventual career in business and nonprofit work.
Linh said her personal experience informs her campaign.
“I understand these struggles. As an immigrant from a working-class home where every dollar mattered, I’ve lived them,” she said.
Her background includes work in entertainment and real estate, as well as founding the WonderSeed Foundation, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit that seeks to prevent youth drug use and reduce recidivism in the juvenile justice system.
Linh said her campaign will prioritize health care, education and the economy, with a particular focus on restoring the full deductibility of state and local taxes, commonly known as the SALT deduction, and expanding affordable housing options through public-private partnerships.
The SALT deduction was capped at $10,000 under a 2017 tax law passed by Republicans, meaning many taxpayers in California, New York and New Jersey have had to pay more income tax.
Repealing the cap on SALT is also a priority of Kim’s. In January, she told President Donald Trump that she and other Republicans from high-tax states need him “to publicly state that you are committed to fixing this issue.”
Linh also cited concerns from people she’s spoken to in the district about losing access to health care.
“Medicare and Medicaid, where you have seniors and people on disability and low income children and adults that need it the most, the most vulnerable of who we are — and this is what makes our nation great, is to be able to have these safety nets in place — is something that we as taxpayers have invested in,” Linh said.
Linh is the fifth Democrat to enter the race.
The other candidates who have filed to run are art dealer Esther Kim Varet, former Chino Valley School Board member Christina Gagnier, communications consultant Paula Williams Swift and retired firefighter Joe Kerr, who Kim defeated in November with 55.3% of the vote.
Kim is the only Republican out of the six members who represent communities in Orange County in Congress.
The 40th District has been labeled a “district in play” by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee for 2026. The Cook Political Report, which analyzes elections, rated the seat as “likely Republican” last year, but changed its rating to “lean Republican” for 2026, indicating the race is more competitive but still favors the GOP.
As of Feb. 10, registered Republicans made up 38.48% of voters in the district, while Democrats accounted for 33.09% and voters with no party preference made up 22.14%, according to California’s secretary of state.
