Kim Varet Remains The Only Viable Candidate Challenging Rep. Young Kim;
Will Not Accept Corporate PAC Contributions

Tustin, CA — CA-40 mom, entrepreneur, and small business owner Esther Kim Varet today announced powerhouse fundraising results as of the end of Q3 2025:

• More than $2 million raised year to date

• Over $500,000 raised in Q3 alone

• 15,000 donations in Q3 (average donation $29) and

• More than 21,000 individual donors supporting her campaign.

Kim Varet has surged ahead of the Democratic field while taking $0 in corporate PAC contributions, the only candidate in the CA-40 race to make and keep that pledge.

By contrast, MAGA Republican Young Kim is bankrolled by the very industries she is supposed to regulate as a member of the House Financial Services Committee. According to OpenSecrets, she has taken nearly $1.5 million from Wall Street and $140,000 from fossil fuel polluters over her career. Just this year, her corporate donors have included Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Citigroup, PG&E, Chevron, Google, and Deloitte — direct evidence of her pay-to-play corruption.

“In the wake of Citizens United, flipping swing districts like CA-40 requires both grassroots power and financial firepower. Young Kim used a 500% fundraising advantage to cling to her seat in the last election — bought and paid for by Wall Street and fossil fuel lobbyists. We cannot let that happen again,” said Esther Kim Varet. “Mine is the only campaign in this race with the grassroots support and fundraising viability to defeat Young Kim, pull the emergency brake on the Trump train wreck, and restore sanity to Congress.”

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California’s 40th is a Congressional District representing portions of Orange County, Riverside County, and San Bernardino County in Southern California. CA-40’s constituents voted for Joe Biden over Donald Trump in 2020. House Majority PAC lists CA-40 as a top target, the DCCC lists CA-40 as a “District in Play”, and the Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index (PVI) ranks the district as one of the 10 most vulnerable House seats with a Republican incumbent in the nation. Esther Kim Varet raised over $1 million in Q1 2025, outpacing the combined Democratic field by over 2.5x.

Incumbent Republican Young Kim’s support for MAGA policies, including a federal ban on abortion even in cases of rape and incest, support of the GOP budget bill that would strip 40,000+ of her constituents from Medicaid, blocking legislation to lower the cost of prescription drugs, and rejection of common sense gun safety, have made Kim extremely vulnerable. In contrast, Esther Kim Varet will always vote to protect women’s right to choose, provide access to healthcare, lower prescription drug costs, and support responsible gun safety.

CA-40 includes the cities of Yorba Linda, Anaheim Hills, Orange, Chino Hills, Tustin, Mission Viejo, Aliso Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, Laguna Hills, Laguna Woods, Villa Park, Lake Forest, the unincorporated communities of North Tustin and Coto de Caza, and parts of Brea and Corona.