ESTHER KIM VARET

Esther Kim Varet was raised by her paternal grandmother, who escaped North Korea by foot, eating bark off of trees while 9 months pregnant with Esther’s father. Her grandparents realized the American Dream through grit and hard work. They have always prioritized education and giving back to the country that gave them everything.

Growing up as a first-generation Korean American in the suburbs of Dallas, Texas, Esther struggled to find her voice. But teachers recognized her love of art and drive for achievement, and helped her earn degrees from Yale and Columbia. In 2012, soon after moving to California with her husband, Joseph, Esther turned their living room into an art gallery and hustled to grow it into a thriving international business with dozens of employees and galleries across the country, including the 40th District. The New York Times calls her a visionary, but Esther is just someone who believes in turning “impossible” into “done.”

Raising two young kids (ages 8 and 11) and running a business is a full-time job, but when our values, laws, and the very American Dream that gave Esther’s family everything is under attack — she couldn’t sit back and do nothing.

Esther’s opponent is a career politician who has cheered on the MAGA destruction and corruption we see in Washington, D.C. She is running for Congress to end it, and she’ll do so with her grandmother’s relentless fighting spirit. Esther believes we must build a better future for our children and take action to fight for our country and democracy.