Irene Shin

Irene Shin
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 12, 2022
Preceded byIbraheem Samirah
Constituency86th district (2022–2024)
8th district (2024–present)
Personal details
Born (1987-10-07) October 7, 1987 (age 37)
Glendale, California, U.S.[1]
Political partyDemocratic
Residence(s)Herndon, Virginia, U.S.
EducationUniversity of California, Riverside (BA)

Irene Shin (born October 7, 1987) is an American politician and non-profit executive who has served as the delegate of the Virginia House of Delegates since January 2022. A Democrat, she defeated incumbent Ibraheem Samirah in the Democratic primary in 2021.[2]

Early life and education

The daughter of Korean immigrants, she was born in Glendale, California and raised in Greater Los Angeles.[3] She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of California, Riverside in 2010.[4]

Career

Shin has worked on various Democratic political campaigns, including as finance director for then-Senator Kamala Harris.[5] She is the executive director of non-profit Virginia Civic Engagement Table.[3] Shin serves on the Tysons Transportation District Service Advisory Board for Fairfax County.[6]

Virginia House of Delegates

2021 election

See also: 2021 Virginia House of Delegates election § District 86

She announced a primary campaign against Delegate Ibraheem Samirah for District 86 in 2021.[7] Despite challenging an incumbent Democrat, Shin received support from the Virginia Democratic Party establishment including multiple state legislators.[8] She defeated Samirah in the June primary by 230 votes and out-raised him by over $100,000.[2]

She defeated Republican Julie Perry in the general election by a margin of 65–34%.[9]

Electoral history

Virginia's 86th House of Delegates district Democratic primary, 2021[10]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Irene Shin 3,415 51.7
Democratic Ibraheem Samirah (incumbent) 3,185 48.3
Total votes 6,600 100.0
Virginia's 86th House of Delegates district, 2021[11]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Irene Shin 19,296 65.4
Republican Julie Perry 10,116 34.3
Write-in 90 0.3
Total votes 29,502 100.0
Democratic hold

Personal life

She moved to Virginia in 2014 and lives in Herndon.[3]

References

  1. ^ "Delegate Irene Shin".
  2. ^ a b Cline, Nathaniel (June 9, 2021). "Shin unseats Samirah for Democratic nomination in 86th House District race; to face Herndon teacher Julie Perry in November". Loudoun Times-Mirror. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c Wilson, Patrick (June 11, 2021). "Meet the three progressive women who unseated attention-grabbing men in Democratic primaries". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  4. ^ "Virginia House of Delegates Member Listings". virginiageneralassembly.gov. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
  5. ^ O'Connell, Michael (October 21, 2021). "Candidate Profile: Irene Shin For VA House Of Delegates". Patch. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  6. ^ "Tysons Transportation Service District Advisory Board". Fairfax County. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  7. ^ Cline, Nathaniel (February 23, 2021). "Herndon community organizer announces candidacy for 86th District House seat". Loudoun Times-Mirror. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  8. ^ Flynn, Meagen (June 9, 2021). "Four Democratic incumbents, one Republican ousted in Virginia House primaries". Washington Post. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  9. ^ Moore, Jack (November 3, 2021). "GOP flips enough seats to tie Va. House of Delegates; some races remain too close to call". WTOP-FM. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  10. ^ "2021 June Democratic Primary". Virginia Department of Elections. Archived from the original on 2021-06-10. Retrieved 2021-12-03.
  11. ^ "Nov. 2, 2021 General Election Statewide Candidates". Virginia Department of Elections. Archived from the original on 2021-07-09. Retrieved 2021-12-03.