Dave Min Bio
David Kunnghee Min (born March 5, 1976) is an American lawyer, law professor, and Democratic politician who has served as the U.S. representative for California’s 47th congressional district since 2025. He previously represented California’s 37th State Senate district from 2020 to 2024, after defeating Republican incumbent John Moorlach in a closely watched Orange County race. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard Law School, Min taught banking and capital markets at the University of California, Irvine School of Law before entering public office full-time.
Before his election to Congress, Min built a career in financial regulation and policy, including roles at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the U.S. Senate Banking Committee, and the Center for American Progress. He first sought federal office in 2018 and went on to win a state senate seat in 2020 before claiming his current seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2024. He is a member of the Democratic Party and identifies as Episcopalian.
Early Life and Background
Dave Min was born on March 5, 1976, in Providence, Rhode Island, and was raised in Palo Alto, California. His parents had immigrated to the United States from South Korea in 1972 to pursue doctoral degrees at Brown University, giving their son an early exposure to both academic life and the immigrant experience. Growing up in the Bay Area, Min later cited his parents’ story as a major influence on his interest in public service.
Min attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in economics from the Wharton School and a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy from the School of Arts and Sciences in 1999. He then went on to Harvard Law School, where he earned his Juris Doctor in 2002, completing a legal education that prepared him for a career in financial regulation and policy.
Path to US Politics
After graduating from Harvard Law School, Dave Min worked in financial regulation as a staff attorney at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, as counsel to Senator Chuck Schumer on the U.S. Senate Banking Committee, and as counsel and senior policy advisor to the Joint Economic Committee. These positions gave him direct experience with federal economic policy and congressional lawmaking.
In 2009, he joined the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank, as its associate director for financial markets policy and supervisor of its Mortgage Finance Working Group. He moved to academia in 2012, joining the University of California, Irvine School of Law as an assistant professor focusing on banking law, capital markets, and real estate finance, and he testified that same year before the House Financial Services Subcommittee on the impact of Dodd-Frank financial regulations. Min passed the California bar exam in 2022, completing the formal licensing step before his continued run for office.
Dave Min Career
Early Career (2002–2012)
Dave Min began his professional career in 2002 as a staff attorney at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, working on federal financial regulation shortly after earning his law degree. He later served as counsel to Senator Chuck Schumer on the U.S. Senate Banking Committee and as counsel and senior policy advisor to the Joint Economic Committee, building a record in economic and banking policy.
In 2009, Min joined the Center for American Progress as associate director for financial markets policy, where he also supervised the Mortgage Finance Working Group. These roles established his profile in Washington policy circles and laid the groundwork for his eventual transition to elected office.
2018 Congressional Campaign
On April 5, 2017, Dave Min announced his candidacy for the U.S. House of Representatives, challenging incumbent Republican Representative Mimi Walters in California’s 45th congressional district. He said he was inspired to run after President Donald Trump temporarily suspended immigration from several predominantly Muslim countries, describing the action as a personal affront as the son of two immigrants. Min also pointed to a growing political consciousness among Korean Americans entering public life.
At the California Democratic Party’s State Convention in February 2018, Min won the party’s endorsement after a contentious floor fight in which he narrowly cleared the required 60 percent threshold. In the primary, he finished third behind Walters and fellow UC Irvine professor Katie Porter, eliminating him from the general election. Porter went on to defeat Walters in the general election.
California State Senate (2020–2024)
On January 9, 2019, Dave Min launched his campaign against State Senator John Moorlach to represent California’s 37th State Senate district. In the primary, he defeated Costa Mesa Mayor Katrina Foley, advancing to the general election, and in the fall of 2020 he narrowly defeated Moorlach with 51.2 percent of the vote. He assumed office on December 7, 2020, and served a four-year term representing a coastal Orange County district.
While in the state senate, Min introduced legislation on violence prevention, including bills to expand protections for survivors of domestic abuse, study harassment on California’s transit systems, make child custody cases private by default, and restrict gun shows and sales on state-owned property. He also introduced legislation to terminate offshore oil drilling leases in Orange County following the 2021 Huntington Beach oil spill, although the bill died amid opposition from the oil industry and trade unions. Some of his other proposals drew concerns from colleagues about implementation costs.
U.S. House of Representatives (2025–Present)
In January 2023, Dave Min announced a second campaign for Congress, this time running for California’s 47th congressional district after Katie Porter vacated the seat to run for the U.S. Senate. Porter, who had defeated Min in the 2018 primary, endorsed him as her successor. Min finished second in the top-two primary and advanced to the general election, where he faced former assemblymember Scott Baugh. The Associated Press projected Min the winner on November 13, 2024.
Min was sworn in on January 3, 2025, and immediately became part of the closely divided House Democratic caucus. During his early tenure, he voted against a bill, introduced by Republicans and backed by over 60 House Democrats, that would have made sexual and domestic violence deportable offenses. In 2025, Min was one of 46 House Democrats who joined all Republicans to vote for the Laken Riley Act.
Notable Events and Milestones
One of the most talked-about moments of Dave Min’s political career came during his 2024 congressional campaign, when he was arrested in Sacramento for drunk driving in 2023. He had a blood alcohol level nearly twice the legal limit and was pulled over for driving through a red light without his headlights on; he later pleaded no contest and was sentenced to three years of informal probation. Rather than withdraw from the race, Min announced publicly that he was quitting drinking, framing the episode as a turning point in his personal life.
Dave Min Career Wins
Dave Min’s electoral record includes a hard-fought state senate victory in 2020 and a U.S. House win in 2024, both in competitive Orange County districts. His narrow defeat of Republican incumbent John Moorlach marked his first win in a general election, while his victory over Scott Baugh returned a closely watched seat to Democratic hands. He also secured the California Democratic Party endorsement in 2018, a notable internal party win despite his primary loss that year.
California State Senate Highlights
Dave Min’s 2020 State Senate victory came after a competitive primary in which he defeated Costa Mesa Mayor Katrina Foley, followed by a general-election win over Republican incumbent John Moorlach with 51.2 percent of the vote. The narrow margin underscored the swing nature of his Orange County district and helped establish him as a rising Democratic voice in state-level politics.
U.S. House Highlights
In 2024, Dave Min won California’s 47th congressional district by defeating Republican nominee Scott Baugh, with The Associated Press projecting him the winner on November 13. The race drew national attention because of his earlier arrest and his pledge to quit drinking, but Min declined calls to drop out and ultimately prevailed in the general election. He took office on January 3, 2025, beginning his current term in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Dave Min Family
Family Background and Political Roots
Dave Min’s parents immigrated to the United States from South Korea in 1972 to pursue doctoral degrees at Brown University, settling first in Providence, Rhode Island, where Min was born in 1976. The family later moved to Palo Alto, California, where Min was raised. Their immigration story has been a recurring theme in his public remarks, including his 2018 campaign announcement.
Personal Life
Dave Min is married to Jane Stoever, a clinical professor of law at UC Irvine who works on domestic violence issues. The couple married in 2005 and have three children. Min has publicly identified as Episcopalian, and he has spoken about his faith and family in the context of his public service.