Marilyn Strickland (born September 25, 1962) is an American politician and businesswoman who is the U.S. Representative-elect for Washington's 10th congressional district. A member of the Democratic Party, she will begin her first term on January 3, 2021. Strickland previously served as the 38th Mayor of Tacoma from 2010 to 2018. She will be the first member of the United States Congress who is of both Korean and African American heritage. Strickland, Young Kim, and Michelle Steel are the first Korean American women elected to Congress.^[2]

Strickland was born on September 25, 1962 in Seoul, South Korea, the daughter of Inmin Kim, a Korean mother and African-American father, Willie Strickland.^[1][3] Strickland and her family moved to Tacoma, Washington in 1967 after her father was stationed at Fort Lewis. She was raised in the South End neighborhood of Tacoma and attended Mount Tahoma High School.^[1] Strickland earned a degree in business from the University of Washington and an MBA from Clark Atlanta University.^[4]

Young Oak Kim (née Choe; born October 18, 1962) is an American politician who is the U.S. Representative-elect for California's 39th congressional district, having defeated incumbent Democrat Gil Cisneros in the 2020 election. She is the first Korean-American woman elected to Congress, along with fellow California Republican Michelle Park Steel and Washington Democrat Marilyn Strickland. She previously served as the California State Assemblywoman for the 65th district from 2014 to 2016. A member of the Republican Party, her district includes northern parts of Orange County. She is the first Korean-American Republican woman elected to the California State Legislature.^[2]

In 2018, Kim was the Republican Party candidate in California's 39th congressional district; she was defeated by Democrat Gil Cisneros in the general election. In 2020, Kim and Cisneros faced off again in a rematch, where Kim defeated Cisneros.^[3] Kim and Michelle Steel thus became the joint-first Republican congressional candidates to unseat an incumbent House Democrat in California since Doug Ose in 1998.

Early life and education[edit]

Kim was born in Incheon, South Korea, and spent her childhood in Seoul. She and her family left South Korea in 1975, living first in Guam, where she finished junior high school, and then Hawaii, where she attended high school.^[4]

She has a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Southern California.^[5]