Kim-Khanh Van

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Kim-Khanh Van

Nonpartisan

Elections and appointments

Last election

August 5, 2025

Personal

Profession

Immigration attorney/Renton City Council member

Contact

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Kim-Khanh Van ran for election to the King County Council to represent District 5 in Washington. She lost in the primary on August 5, 2025.

Biography

Kim-Khanh Van was born in Vietnam. Her career experience includes working as an immigration attorney. As of September 2021, Van served as a Renton City Council member.

Kim-Khanh Van has been affiliated with the following organizations:

• Sound Cities Association Regional Law, Safety, and Justice Committee, regional board member
• Sound Cities Association Seattle-King County Senior, Aging and Disability Advisory Council, regional board member
• King County Regional Approach to Gun Violence and Youth Impacts, volunteer government representative
• King County Coalition Against Hate and Bias, volunteer
• AAPI Against Hate, co-founder

Elections

2025

See also: Municipal elections in King County, Washington (2025)

General election

The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

General election for King County Council District 5

Steffanie Fain and Peter Kwon are running in the general election for King County Council District 5 on November 4, 2025.

		Candidate
		Steffanie Fain (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Peter Kwon (Nonpartisan)

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	There are no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for King County Council District 5

The following candidates ran in the primary for King County Council District 5 on August 5, 2025.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Peter Kwon (Nonpartisan)	27.7	9,101
✔		Steffanie Fain (Nonpartisan)	24.1	7,904
		Kim-Khanh Van (Nonpartisan)	23.3	7,657
		Ryan McIrvin (Nonpartisan)	11.6	3,798
	Submit photo	Angela Henderson (Nonpartisan)	6.9	2,256
		Ahmad Corner (Nonpartisan)	6.0	1,959
		Other/Write-in votes	0.5	152

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 32,827
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

Van received the following endorsements. To send us additional endorsements, click here.

• MLK Labor
• Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates

2021

See also: Municipal elections in King County, Washington (2021)

General election

General election for King County Council District 9

Incumbent Reagan Dunn defeated Kim-Khanh Van in the general election for King County Council District 9 on November 2, 2021.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Reagan Dunn (Nonpartisan)	62.2	36,169
		Kim-Khanh Van (Nonpartisan)	37.6	21,895
		Other/Write-in votes	0.2	105

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 58,169
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for King County Council District 9

Incumbent Reagan Dunn and Kim-Khanh Van defeated Chris Franco and Ubax Gardheere in the primary for King County Council District 9 on August 3, 2021.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Reagan Dunn (Nonpartisan)	55.4	26,663
✔		Kim-Khanh Van (Nonpartisan)	21.9	10,532
	Submit photo	Chris Franco (Nonpartisan)	16.1	7,747
	Submit photo	Ubax Gardheere (Nonpartisan)	6.3	3,045
		Other/Write-in votes	0.3	141

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 48,128
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

To view Van's endorsements in the 2021 election, please click here.

Campaign themes

2025

Kim-Khanh Van did not complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.

Other survey responses

Ballotpedia identified the following surveys, interviews, and questionnaires Van completed for other organizations. If you are aware of a link that should be added, email us.

• VoteWA Profile

2021

Kim-Khanh Van completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Van's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I was born in Vietnam, raised by a mom who believed me, and my brothers and sisters, deserved a better life, free of violence and full of opportunity. Entering the United States every member of my family worked long hours across multiple jobs. From a young age, I helped support my family, from working as a classroom tutor to a part-time janitor, even after college graduation. Today, I bring this unique perspective cultivated by my lived experiences and drive to my work as an immigration attorney, Renton City Councilmember, and small business owner. In this office I would be able to ensure a foundation for truly safe and healthy communities – addressing injustice head-on, protecting rights and expanding opportunity for our vulnerable elders, youth, veterans, and workers. I will work to ensure public safety, expand on delivering equitable investments in transit and transportation in South King County that better connect communities and working families to education, economic opportunity, and each other. And with relentlessly urgent and bold policy, I seek to maintain and build affordable housing, and provide comprehensive, compassionate, and evidence-based services to effectively reduce homelessness and support unsheltered neighbors.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Housing and Homelessness - Our region is experiencing a housing crisis where rents have skyrocketed, neighbors have been displaced, and too many are forced to live without permanent housing. The pandemic has only made things worse, with many on the verge of homelessness and at risk of eviction when the moratorium ends. As I’ve seen firsthand on the Renton City Council, our County Council representative has not been the proactive leader that we need on this issue. If elected, I will bring the engaged, evidence-backed, regional approach this problem demands to address housing instability, bring down housing costs, and provide meaningful and lasting support for our unsheltered neighbors.
• COVID-19 Response - The pandemic has been devastating in many ways – taking lives, eliminating livelihoods, and separating friends, families, and the social fabric that make our communities special. King County residents deserve a strong, comprehensive COVID response. This also includes public safety, responding to rises of gun violence, hate crimes, and other serious violations of the public’s peace of mind by ensuring effective public safety systems. I will work to appoint a sheriff that reflects our community values, create alternative responses when an armed officer isn't necessarily needed, and invest in community policing, body cameras, de-escalation training, and other improvements to effectiveness, accountability, and transparency.
• Transit- You cannot have safe and healthy communities without accessible and connected communities. This is where I believe transit policy will lead us to a future with more breathable air, safer streets, and stronger communities. We need innovative solutions that reduce carbon emissions, mitigate the effects of climate change, and strengthen our communities simultaneously. Making sure all our workplaces, homes, schools, and businesses are accessible via transit allows for a tighter community and reduces our reliance on car ownership. We want a future for our children that has clean air and healthy communities; this is how we get there – on transit.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

The public policy I am most passionate about would be the critical issue of King County’s housing policy. In my role as a Renton City Councilmember, I was one of two members that voted against new zoning laws surrounding the Red Lion Hotel that would result in the eviction of 200 unsheltered neighbors. We cannot solve this issue overnight, but we need leaders committed to solutions that get results.

We need to build tiny homes and transitional housing for folks experiencing homelessness and not just wait for housing to be developed. Getting people into permanent supportive housing is critical to giving them the support they need to get back on their feet. We need to explore density options like Accessory Dwelling Units that allow us to add housing. We should explore creating an ADU credit for families, especially as there are plenty of opportunities to thoughtfully grow in District 9.

As we’ve seen, climate policy touches on all issues imaginable. One reason I am forthright in my fight for housing and affordable housing is because the worsening climate effects we are already experiencing will burden our vulnerable unhoused neighbors disproportionately. We are doing our best to mitigate climate effects as fast as we can through action plans to invest in green energy but beyond that we can save folks from the effects of climate change by housing them immediately and sustainably.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

We need collaborative leaders who strive to build and prioritize a healthy, safe, and inclusive environment for their constituents. An elected official should represent the needs and interests of all demographics; especially the underrepresented communities of people of color, women, veterans, immigrants, and houseless individuals. A county council member should make themselves available to constituents, listen to their needs, act on them, and host community conversations for dialogues. That includes helping workers and vulnerable community members in need during the pandemic, supporting small businesses, and leading on equity and inclusion work.

I want to serve in this office because as a refugee and new immigrant to this country, I learned the inspiring power of the American Dream. But this path is out of reach for too many. That’s why my priorities for the King County Council are based on principles that all elected officials should have; principles that will restore a path to prosperity, health, safety, and quality of life for all. Again, it is so important for our elected officials to represent their voter base. I would be the first woman of color to serve on the County Council in its modern form, and will serve as an unyielding advocate for underrepresented communities, many of whom have long been left out of the process and have lost trust in our government institutions. I will engage on their priority issues and make sure their voices are heard.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I have a unique lived perspective, a deep community connection, a penchant for listening to others, and a proven record of collaborative problem solving. These are qualities that make me the right candidate for the County Council and priorities and experiences I hope to bring to the County Council – thoughtful, community-focused leadership committed to ensuring our district thrives. If elected, I will bring this new approach to the Council, centered on access to economic opportunity, innovative public safety improvements, and support for seniors, veterans, and immigrants.

Representation matters and we need leaders who will stand up for our community and advocate for the programs, investments, and decisions that will benefit everyone who calls this region home. I believe we need bold leadership committed to adequately addressing the challenges that face King County, including racism, inclusion and equity; housing and homelessness; climate change and environmental justice; COVID-19 recovery and small business support; traffic and transportation; veterans issues; and more. I possess the leadership qualities and the lived experience to be that leader for King County.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first job was when I was in 6th grade, and I worked punching tags into hats and t-shirts at an embroidery company and as a teen aide at a tutoring center, then grocery worker and then a part-time janitor. This experience providing for my family shaped my understanding of how essential a strong work ethic is. Since this job, I have proudly worked in diverse settings from grocery stores to libraries and each experience has shown me the unique and valuable contributions of every kind of worker. All work is skilled work. I believe every worker deserves dignified work places, safe job environments and the right to collectively bargain for fair compensation.

In a way, prior to my janitorial role, being the main translator for my family was my first job. I was in charge of navigating the human service system that kept my family afloat like so many others. These job experiences have shown me that the dedication to your work serves more than just yourself. Being a part of the community, a family, or group effort requires selflessness, compassion, and building on opportunity so that those who follow are met with less barriers and more access to success and economic mobility. I work hard for myself and the community. These jobs have instilled that drive in me.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Happy – Pharrell Williams

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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