Korean American candidate Dan Koh, 41, won the Democratic primary in Massachusetts' 6th congressional district in a vote held on the 1st.
Born in 1985, Koh previously served in the White House under the Biden administration and secured a spot on the general election ballot on a third attempt, after losing bids in 2018 and 2022. The seat was vacated by incumbent Rep. Seth Moulton, who is running for the Senate. Because the district is considered a Democratic stronghold, Koh is seen as likely to win in November's midterm elections.
Koh holds degrees from Harvard College and Harvard Business School, and has served as chief of staff to Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and as a deputy assistant to the president at the White House. He uses the surname Koh, following his father, who is from Jeju. His father, Howard Koh, served as an assistant secretary of health under the Obama administration, and his uncle, Harold Koh, served as dean of Yale Law School. His grandparents, Kwang Lim Koh and Hesung Chun Koh, sent all six of their children to Yale or Harvard.
According to U.S. media reports, Koh far outraised his opponent during the primary, and a strategy centered on endorsements from his former bosses, former President Joe Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris, proved effective. In a recent social media post aimed at the Trump administration, Koh wrote that the American Dream is still worth fighting for despite what he called the government's cruelty and budget cuts.
