Jay Kim Back in the Running
Convicted congressman seeks seat in nearby district
By Jason Ma

Former U.S. Rep. Jay Kim admits that his decision last Thursday to run for Congress again in 2000 -- after losing his seat last year in the wake of campaign finance violations -- cannot be easily explained.

“Am I crazy? I don’t know,” said Kim, the first and only Korean American to have ever held national office. “I can’t explain.”

In 1998, the Diamond Bar Republican pleaded guilty to five misdemeanor counts of campaign finance violations, accepting $250,000 in illegal corporate contributions during his first run at the House in 1992. He was sentenced to two months’ home detention, 200 hours of community service and a $5,000 fine.

However, he was not barred from seeking office again. Last spring, he even ran for re-election to a fourth term, but his house arrest prevented him from campaigning in his 41st District.

After losing and leaving Congress, he spent some time lecturing on American politics at several universities in Korea, then moved to Virginia. Soon, however, he plans to move to Rancho Cucamonga where he will run as a Republican in the adjacent 42nd District in San Bernardino County. That seat is now held by Joe Baca, D-Rialto, who recently won a special election following the death of U.S. Rep. George Brown this fall.

Kim said he is confident that he can get over the onus of being found guilty of violating campaign finance laws last year. Indeed, after speaking with several hundred people in the 42nd District over the past few months, he said most of them had no idea what he had done.

“I’ve been treated like I’ve committed the crime of the century,” he said, adding that his ethnicity may have led people to automatically suspect him of accepting money from abroad, which he denies. “The American people are very forgiving. They forgave Clinton.”

Kim said he is running in the 42nd District, adjacent to his old one, because “the 41st District is in excellent shape” under U.S. Rep. George Miller.

Kim said he plans to “ask for forgiveness and explain everything,” admitting that in 1992 he was running an ambitious and aggressive race as a businessman and was not well versed on campaign finance laws. “That time I was a little arrogant and naive.”

Of the $250,000 in undeclared campaign finance contributions received, Kim pointed out that $80,000 of that had originated from his own company. Using the office space of his business as his campaign headquarters in 1992, Kim said it did not occur to him to report it as a contribution.

But since his company was incorporated, the rent-free use of his office space -- with a value estimated at $80,000 -- technically fell under a corporate contribution, according to campaign finance laws.

Rodney Leong, vice-chairman of communications at the San Francisco Republican Central Committee, said that while the opposing candidate will likely emphasize Kim’s past convictions, the former engineer has “come clean” and rightly should have the opportunity to run again.

“It’s commendable,” Leong said. “Now that he’s redeemed he should be able to run again.”

However, Leong declined to say whether Kim’s candidacy would be a burden to the Republican Party or whether he would campaign on Kim’s behalf.

“I don’t know the man,” he said. “Before I make the decision, I’ll do the research... Let’s hope he makes a good race out of it.”

Stephen Fong, secretary of the San Francisco committee, said Kim’s bid comes too soon after his conviction. Moreover, he said, it comes at a time when the Democrats are threatening to take back control of the House from the Republicans.

But among most APIs, the reaction is more than muted. It’s been pretty much nonexistent, as Kim himself admits.

“I’ve been calling everybody,” he said. “I’ve not received phone calls back.”

As for what he plans to do for the 42nd District, Kim said he will focus on public works projects, especially refurbishing Interstate 10, which connects Los Angeles to San Bernardino, and restoring the historic Route 66. Kim said he drove the freeways of the district and realized that there was work for him to do.

Kim hopes that what worked for the 41st District will work for the 42nd, too. He takes credit for the completion of the Ontario Airport and the widening of Highway 71, both of which took place during his tenure.

“If you drive out to the 42nd District, it’s a little depressing,” he added. “It’s time that someone really paid attention to infrastructure. I feel like they need someone like me.”