Like many during the COVID-19 pandemic, Paula Swift lost her job.
Swift, from Seal Beach, had been working for a nonprofit advocating for children in foster care, specifically those who were aging out of the system. But budget cuts during the pandemic meant her job was eliminated.
It was an experience, Swift said, that isn’t unique, especially during that time. But it’s also one that prepared her to launch a bid for California’s 40th Congressional District seat.
A community advocate who owns her own consulting business, Swift jumped into the increasingly crowded race on Wednesday, May 7, for a district that includes communities mostly in eastern Orange County but also picks up some in Riverside and San Bernardino counties as well.
The 40th District is represented by Rep. Young Kim, R-Anaheim Hills. There, Republicans account for nearly 38.5% of registered voters, Democrats 33% and no party preference 22.1%. Still, it’s a district eyed by national Democrats as a potential pickup in 2026.
Swift joins four other Democrats who have already announced their candidacies for the seat: former Chino Valley Unified School District board member Christina Gagnier, retired firefighter Joe Kerr, nonprofit founder Nina Linh and art dealer Esther Kim Varet.
Kim, the only Republican who represents an Orange County congressional district, has said she is running for reelection.
Swift said she’s long been involved in advocacy work, both personally and professionally, focused on foster youth, victims of domestic violence and young people who struggle with life after high school graduation. She said she feels it’s time to take her advocacy to a broader platform: Congress.
“It’s really recognizing that, for the most part, Americans are not being heard, their needs are not being met,” said Swift. “What we’re seeing now in Washington is just a complete disconnect from what the average American needs right now.”
“We need people that get it, that have lived experiences that can really contribute to the change we need to see,” she added. “That was the foundation of why I decided, OK, why not now?”
Swift is running for the 40th District as a Democrat, a party that she said she believes puts a premium on increasing equitable access to education, affordable housing, health care and other similar services.
Her Los Angeles-based firm offers consulting services and keynote presentations that “inspire resilience, self-determination and confidence, empowering workgroups, sales teams and executive leaders alike to excel in dynamic environments,” according to its website. Through that work, she has partnered with businesses, schools and government agencies, her campaign said.
Swift has taught business communication classes as an adjunct professor at Azusa Pacific University, her alma mater.
Aside from her work with her consulting business, Swift is a mother to three adult children.
