Candidate for: 17th District State Representative, Position 1 New candidate for this position.
Campaign website: http://www.votesamkim.com Age: Estimated early 50s.
Summary Analysis: Sam Kim’s educational background and work history is extremely strong for projecting his skill and aptitude for understanding and proposing solutions to the complex and politically charged issues that come before state legislators. Candidate Sam Kim however has had a problematic history from the start of the campaign. He first claimed he was a Republican and tried to gain local Republican Party resources, then at the point of filing for office, he registered as Democrat (with the nuance an ‘Independent Democrat’). Based on this rocky start, and the fact he has no record to evaluate, and his apparent affiliation with self-interested establishment politicians, it is unclear how he will handle himself once in office. Sam Kim has a 59% composite score. See details about score in the composite score matrix.
Campaign manager and team: Apparently self-run with volunteers.
Education – higher: MBA (University of Washington), Master Science and Engineering (University of Pennsylvania Engineering & Wharton Schools). Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering (University of Washington).
Relevant work experience: Former US Navy Officer, Project Manager and Engineer for Hewlett Packard, IT Manager with Clark County, commissioned Reserve Deputy with Clark County Sheriff’s Office.
Organizations and community involvement: Battle Ground School District Board of Directors, Greater Brush Prairie Neighborhood Association President, and participant in a number of community service organizations.
Donation analysis: Candidate’s fundraising has gone into overdrive since the primary. Donations are mostly from labor unions and were bolstered by two large contributions totaling $50,000 from the House Democratic Caucus Committee. These have made Kim’s campaign financially solid. They also indicate the likelihood he will support tax and spend policies if elected. How to review donations.
Time in area: 25 years
Background for candidate: The following links have been chosen as they contain background information readers may find useful.
| Candidates campaign website | Candidate | http://www.votesamkim.com |
| Kim joins two other Republicans in pursuit of 17th District seat | The Columbian | http://www.columbian.com/news/2016/feb/22/kim-joins-two-other-republicans-in-pursuit-of-17th-district-seat/ |
| Kim, running for 17th District, undecided about party affiliation | The Columbian | http://www.columbian.com/news/2016/may/16/kim-running-for-17th-district-unsure-about-party-affiliation/ |
| Discussion On Rights For Pregnant Workers Fuels Candidate Forum | WCAN | http://washingtoncan.org/wordpress/tag/sam-kim/ |
| CVTV – Election 2016: Primary Video Voters’ Guide (07-07-16) (in interface scroll down and click the candidate’s name) | CVTV | http://www.cvtv.org/vid_link/18222 |
Original analysis: July 2016 Updated: October 2016.
Produced by ClarkCounty.info LLC 2016