David Kunnghee Min (born March 5, 1976) is an American lawyer and politician who has served as the U.S. representative from California’s 47th congressional district since 2025. A member of the Democratic Party, he represented the 37th district in the California State Senate, which includes portions of Orange County, from 2020 to 2024. He was an assistant law professor at the University of California, Irvine prior to being elected to office.
Min ran in the 2018 election to represent California’s 45th congressional district but was defeated in the nonpartisan blanket primary by incumbent Congresswoman Mimi Walters and fellow UC Irvine professor Katie Porter, who went on to defeat Walters in the general election.[1] He was elected to the state senate in the 2020 elections after defeating Costa Mesa mayor and future Orange County Board of Supervisors member Katrina Foley in the primary and then by narrowly defeating incumbent Republican John Moorlach in the November election.[2]
Min defeated Republican nominee Scott Baugh in the 2024 election to represent California’s 47th congressional district.[3] During the 2024 election, significant focus fell on Min’s arrest for drunk driving in 2023;[4][5] he pleaded no contest and was sentenced to three years informal probation.[6][7]
Endorsements
California Democratic Party, Planned Parenthood, Sierra Club, many unions and Democratic officials. A full list is shown on his endorsements page.
Reputation/Scandals/Successes
Core Strengths and Positive Reputation
- Anti-Corruption Leadership: He built a national brand fighting white-collar crime. He leads the Congressional Progressive Caucus’s Fighting Corruption Task Force and sits on the House Oversight Committee to push for bans on individual congressional stock trading.
- Academic & Legal Credibility: Voters and peers respect his background as a Harvard Law School graduate, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) enforcement attorney, and UC Irvine law professor.
- Environmental & Gun Control Record: He holds a near-perfect score from the League of Conservation Voters for his work phasing out offshore oil drilling. He gained widespread recognition in Orange County for successfully banning gun shows on state-owned land.
- High Institutional Support: He maintains deep backing from establishment groups like the California Democratic Party, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, and the Sierra Club. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]
Criticisms and Vulnerabilities
- Drunk Driving Arrest: In May 2023, Min was arrested and pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor DUI. While supporters note he took immediate personal responsibility and went entirely sober, the incident drew heavy fire from political opponents and caused some localized drop-off in endorsements during his primary campaign.
- Moderate Policed-Focused Record: Progressive groups and local political rivals have criticized him for being overly centrist on law enforcement. While serving in Congress, he crossed party lines on high-profile House Oversight and Government Reform Committee votes to back tougher sentencing and mandatory minimums for violent crimes.
- Hyper-Partisan Positioning: Media outlets and conservative critics have characterized him as highly polarized due to his public, aggressive opposition to right-wing figures and policies, notably executing a complete boycott of the State of the Union address. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]
Campaign contributors
Has raised over $2.9M. Sources not reported.
