Allyson Damikolas comes out swinging in CA-40 (Young Kim)

Vern here, and the Orange Juice Blog is overjoyed that Stepford Republican Young Kim now has a worthy Democratic contender in the northeast-multi-county 40th congressional district, one who really lives in the district and doesn’t have a history of shilling for Poseidon – none other than Allyson Muñiz Damikolas, Latina engineer, mother, and Tustin school board member.

And it turns out Allyson, in that latter position, has already suffered the slings and arrows of the troglodyte Trump Party, which made a half-assed failed attempt to recall her on the false grounds that she had something to do with teaching the dread “CRITICAL RACE THEORY” in Tustin. Suffered the slings and arrows and come out stronger, and now she is angling for the smooth but valueless Young Kim, and pulling in beaucoup funds as the press release below trumpets.

Remember, no matter how smooth and likable Young Kim may be, a vote for her is a vote to keep the nihilistic MAGA Party in power in Washington and keep all progress for our nation stalled. A vote for Young Kim is a vote for the continued power of Marjorie Taylor Greene, Donald Trump, Matt Gaetz, and Kevin McCarthy (as long as he bows to the whims of those others.)

NOT TO MENTION, a vote for Young Kim is a vote to continue to do nothing about the nationwide plague of gun violence, the nationwide attack on reproductive freedom, and the worldwide Climate Crisis.

And for this reason, we find it not at all inappropriate to sing (to the beautiful old Elvis Costello tune)

A—LLYSON, you know Young Kim is killing us!
Oh, A—LLYSON, your aim is true.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 31, 2023
press@allysonforcongress.com

Allyson Damikolas Builds Momentum, Raises Over $100,000 in First Week Since Announcing Run for Congress

Damikolas, an engineer, mom of kids with complex medical needs, and school board member, is running against MAGA-allied Republican Young Kim in California’s 40th Congressional District.

Tustin, CA — Today, Allyson Muñiz Damikolas, an engineer, mom of kids with complex medical needs, and school board member, announced that her campaign for Congress in California’s 40th Congressional District (CA-40) raised $100,000 since launching last week.

Allyson Damikolas released the following statement:

“I’m so grateful to everyone who has chipped in and expressed support for our campaign over the past week. This early momentum is a clear sign that Southern Californians have had enough of extreme career politicians like Young Kim, and are ready for new leadership that will stand up to – not stand with – the special interests in Washington.”

Here’s what they’re saying about Damikolas’ strong launch for Congress:

Orange County Register: Tustin school board trustee sets her sights on Congress
By Kaitlyn Schallhorn
• The race for California’s 40th congressional district in 2024 is growing with the entrance of Allyson Muñiz Damikolas, a Tustin Unified School District trustee.

• An engineer before her two daughters were diagnosed with life-threatening conditions that left them with “complex medical needs,” Damikolas said she made the decision to jump into the race to advocate for abortion rights, gun laws to curtail school shootings and greater access to health care.

• “I feel as if it’s a calling,” Damikolas said of her race. “At this time, our children really need us to advocate for them and for our community.”

• “I feel that as a Latina, someone whose family has been here for generations, someone who is now raising her own family, I represent not just Orange County, but Southern California as a whole, and the diversity of it all,” Damikolas said.

• Damikolas first joined TUSD’s board in 2020, surviving a Republican-backed recall election not too long after she was elected as its first Latina Democrat. That recall, she said, gave her the experience to deal with “political games.”

Politico California: Kim Clash
By Jeremy B. White
• Democratic Tustin School Board member Allyson Damikolas is launching a challenge to GOP Rep. Young Kim in the 40th congressional district, an R+4 battleground seat that Kim easily defended in 2022. In a brief interview, Damikolas stressed the contrast between herself and Kim on abortion rights and gun laws. You can watch Damikolas’ launch video here.

National Journal: CA-40 Update
By James Downs
• CA-40: Tustin Unified School District board trustee Allyson Damikolas (D) kicked off a challenge to Rep. Young Kim (R). In her launch video that was shared first with Hotline, Damikolas, whose daughters have “serious health conditions,” says when Kim “supported in Congress taking away protections for my girls, I knew this was a problem that only had one solution. Vote Young Kim out.”

# # #

About Allyson Muñiz Damikolas
Allyson Muñiz Damikolas is an engineer, mom, and school board member. Allyson is proud to be raising her three children – Julian, Victoria and Audrey, with her husband Marc, right where she grew up, here in Southern California.

Allyson is a proud Latina. Her father comes from a long line of Mexican Americans, who have lived in California for generations. Her maternal grandfather is Puerto Rican and her maternal grandmother is Mexican American. Her father was a former Marine and her grandfathers served in the Army in World War II. Growing up, Allyson’s family faced difficulties which taught her at a very young age to take care of herself. Allyson, as the eldest child in the family, often was the caretaker for her three younger brothers, and at times, the family struggled with food insecurity.

In school, Allyson excelled in math and science, studied hard and earned a degree in chemical engineering. After graduation, Allyson went to work for an environmental consulting firm.

When her two girls – Victoria and Audrey – were each diagnosed with a life-threatening condition, Allyson put her engineering career on hold to care for her daughters. When doctors gave her daughters a difficult diagnosis, Allyson sat by their side in hospital rooms. She even crossed state lines to get her daughters the critical care they needed, and fought with insurers that wanted to deny them care. She made sure her girls eventually made it back into classrooms that both addressed their needs and challenged them to reach their full potential. Today, Allyson’s daughters are both excelling in school and her oldest is exploring college. Allyson has always been a problem solver and will bring this same fighting spirit to Washington for the people of Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties.

Once Victoria and Audrey were back in school Allyson became more involved in their schools and served as PTO president to make sure every kid had an advocate in their corner. In 2020, Allyson was elected Trustee to the Tustin Unified School Board when she defeated a 24-year incumbent. Allyson knew that the roadblocks to achieving academic success often start outside the classroom. That’s why she led her school board to designate every one of their Title 1 schools as “Community Schools”, where families and students are supported with food, clothing, and resources.

Allyson knows firsthand how gun violence disrupts lives and schools. Her cousin, an LAPD officer, was shot and killed in the line of duty. As a school board member, she’s seen hundreds of thousands of dollars intended to help our kids excel in school – like buying textbooks – instead be diverted to keep our schools safe with additional security equipment. Allyson will always fight for commonsense gun safety laws that protect our children and let them focus on being kids.

For many women, including her two daughters, access to abortion care could one day mean the difference between life and death. Young Kim voted against our right to contraception and our right to abortion. She’s even supported by extremists who seek to ban abortion nationwide. That means overruling the protections we have here in California and taking away our rights – to make our own personal decisions. Allyson is running because Young Kim can’t be trusted to put the health of California women before politics.

Allyson is running for Congress because Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties need a leader they can trust to fight for their kids. Whether it is for their right to health care coverage, good schools, freedom from gun violence, or reproductive health care – Allyson will always put our families first, just as she has for her family.