2026 candidate · follow the money
Who funds Young Kim?
What they did in office.
Sitting member of Congress · Young Kim
In the U.S. House (CA-40) since 2021 · current term ends Jan 3, 2027
- Recorded yea or nay on 24 of the 24 key House floor votes captured in Hugin's snapshot
- 3 committees: Financial Services, Foreign Affairs, Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party · 4 subcommittees
- 387 committees reported contributions to them this cycle · 7 committees reported outside spending for or against them
Linked to this filing by its exact FEC candidate ID (H8CA39240) in the congress-legislators roster of Oct 21, 2026. Votes are one key floor vote per bill on bills named in contractor lobbying reports (Oct 29, 2026); committee seats are the roster as of Oct 24, 2026; money counts are FEC reports for 2026 as of Oct 24, 2026. These are what Hugin's snapshots captured, not complete records, and none of them is a score or evidence of motive.
The money.
- Raised
- $8.4M
- Spent
- $11M
- Cash on hand
- $911K
- Debts
- $152K
- Individuals 77% $6.5M
- PACs & other committees 21% $1.8M
- Party committees 0.1% $10K
- Other receipts 1% $104K
Campaign totals through Oct 14, 2026. Excludes $1.7M moved between the candidate's own committees.
Outside groups: $847K supporting · $4.5M opposing ($1,731 of it designated for the general election)
Biggest spenders supporting
Biggest spenders opposing
- AMERICANS 4 SECURITY PAC $3.2M
- CALIFORNIA CONSERVATIVES PAC $1.3M
- ACTIVATE AMERICA $1,731
- VOTER TO VOTER PAC $35
Largest direct PAC contributions
- MORTGAGE BANKERS ASSOCIATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (MORPAC) $10K
- NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF INSURANCE AND FINANCIAL ADVISORS POLITICAL ACTION COMM $10K
- AMERICA'S CREDIT UNIONS PAC $10K
- UBS AMERICAS INC. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (UBS PAC) $10K
- AMERICAN PHYSICAL THERAPY ASSOCIATION PHYSICAL THERAPY POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (PT-PAC) $10K
Who gave.
Who gives $6.5M from individuals
35% in small-dollar gifts
$2.3M of $6.5M came unitemized: from donors whose gifts to the campaign this cycle total $200 or less, whom the campaign does not have to name.
Adding itemized gifts from donors whose itemized total is $200 or less, about 38%. Many small gifts sent through ActBlue or WinRed are itemized anyway, so the first figure runs low; this estimate groups donors by name and ZIP code as filed and counts only itemized gifts already in the FEC bulk file.
The itemized gifts below add up to $3.4M of the $4.2M the campaign reported itemizing through Oct 14, 2026. The FEC has not yet processed the rest into its bulk file, which runs to Jun 30, 2026 for this campaign.
37% from California · 63% from elsewhere
Of itemized gifts, by the state on each donor's mailing address; $432 had no usable state. Giving from other states is lawful and common.
60% of itemized dollars came earmarked through a conduit such as ActBlue or WinRed; each gift is counted once.
Top states
- California $1.2M
- Texas $246K
- Florida $227K
- Virginia $139K
- Georgia $108K
- New York $90K
- Maryland $77K
- Pennsylvania $75K
Top employers named by donors
- APOLLO $11K
- HARVEST SMALL BUSINESS FINANCE $8,000
- INVARIANT $6,000
- CORNERSTONE GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS $3,750
- EXP REALTY $2,000
- KELLER WILLIAMS REALTY $1,725
- COLDWELL BANKER REALTY $1,500
- COMPASS $1,500
- US NAVY $1,199
- USPS $1,028
Employers as donors wrote them on the form. A company listed here did not give this money; people who work there did.
Retired, self-employed, not employed or not given: $2.2M. Employers named by fewer than three donors, or filed as a person's name: $1.2M, not listed so no one donor is singled out.
Summary through Oct 14, 2026. Itemized gifts dated Jan 1, 2025 to Jun 30, 2026, net of refunds (100,117 entries). Every itemized contribution on FEC.gov ↗
From the principal campaign committee's FEC reports; joint-fundraising transfers and later reports are not included, and no donor is named here. A contribution is not evidence of a vote, favor or wrongdoing.
Outside money in the final weeks.
Outside spending including late reports: $1.5M for / $7.4M against · $304K in the final two weeks
That is $3.5M more than the $5.4M in regular reports alone. Source: FEC regular reports plus 24- and 48-hour reports they do not yet cover. The final two weeks run Oct 21, 2026 to Nov 3, 2026, by the date each ad or mailing went out.
What it bought, per the late reports
- TV, radio & streaming TV 39% $3.5M
- Digital ads 10% $904K
- Ads, medium not stated 29% $2.6M
- Mail, print & signs 20% $1.8M
- Phones & texts 0.8% $73K
- Ad production 1% $93K
- Other or unclassified <0.1% $3,000
Largest late spenders for
Largest late spenders against
- AMERICANS 4 SECURITY PAC $6.0M
- CALIFORNIA CONSERVATIVES PAC $1.3M
- YOUTH SAVE DEMOCRACY PAC $3,238
Latest dissemination on these reports: October 30, 2026. FEC 24- and 48-hour independent-expenditure reports read November 4, 2026, with amended and re-filed reports counted once (112 entries). These reports on FEC.gov ↗
Outside spending is, by law, made without coordinating with the candidate and is not the candidate's money. Purposes are grouped from each spender's own description, so the groups are approximate. A dollar figure is not evidence of a vote, favor or wrongdoing.
Where it went.
Where the money went $8.6M in itemized spending
These itemized payments cover $8.6M of the $11M the campaign reported spending through Oct 14, 2026. The FEC has not yet itemized the rest in its bulk file, which runs to Jun 30, 2026.
- Advertising & outreach 62% $5.3M
- Consultants & strategy 15% $1.3M
- Staff & payroll 0.9% $80K
- Fundraising & processing fees 16% $1.3M
- Polling, research & data 2% $189K
- Travel, meals & events 2% $144K
- Office, technology & overhead 0.8% $72K
- Legal & compliance 0.9% $76K
- Other or unclassified 1% $112K
Largest payees
- BARRELL PLACEMENTS $3.3M
- TARGETED VICTORY LLC $2.2M
- CALIBER CONTACT $901K
- FULFILLMENT SOLUTIONS, INC. $423K
- MDI IMAGING & MAIL $220K
Paid to individuals: $128K, such as staff, contractors and reimbursements. People who were paid are not named here.
Payments dated Jan 1, 2025 to Jun 30, 2026, as itemized by the principal campaign committee in FEC reports (1,264 entries). Every payment on FEC.gov ↗
Grouped by each campaign's own description of the payment, so the groups are approximate. Payments of $200 or less to one payee need not be itemized, detail filed only as memo entries counts under other or unclassified, and spending by the candidate's other committees or by outside groups is not included. A payment is not evidence of a favor or wrongdoing.
Others who filed for this seat.
- Ken CalvertRepublican · $4.9M raised · $669K outside
- Esther Kim VaretDemocrat · $2.9M raised · $1.1M outside
- Christina GagnierDemocrat · $607K raised
- Lisa D RamirezDemocrat · $519K raised
- Nina LinhIndependent · $442K raised
- Joseph KerrDemocrat · $287K raised · $5 outside
- Perry MeadeDemocrat · $276K raised
- Tiffanie TateDemocrat · $66K raised
- Claude Manuel KeissiehDemocrat · $34K raised
- Paula Williams SwiftDemocrat · $15K raised
- Christian Tyler AhmedIndependent · $30 raised
Questions worth asking.
Money shows who backed a campaign, not how a person will act. Compare it with what they did and said: their votes or official actions if they have held office, their own statements, and their answers to a finding. Use the same questions for every candidate.
FEC bulk data read November 4, 2026. Campaign totals come from each filing's own FEC summary through its latest processed report. Outside spending is independent expenditures itemized in committee reports in the FEC bulk files, primaries included; late 24- and 48-hour reports, party coordinated spending, communication costs and groups that do not report to the FEC are not included. Outside spending is, by law, made without coordinating with the candidate, and it is not the candidate's money. A contribution or expenditure is not evidence of a vote, favor or wrongdoing. This page identifies the filing by its FEC candidate ID; a person can hold more than one filing.