Esther Kim-Varet

FounderandDirector, VariousSmallFires in Trabuco Canyon, CA

Esther Kim-Varet is a candidate for United States Representative District 40 in Congressional District 40, California — 2026 Primary Election.

Also running: Francis Xavier Hoffman, Claude M Keissieh, Joe Kerr, Lisa Ramirez, Ken Calvert, Young Kim, Nina Linh.

EstherKimVaretisafirst-generationKoreanAmerican, smallbusinessowner, andartgalleristrunningasaDemocratforCalifornia's40thCongressionalDistrict[1.3]. Raised in Texas by parents who immigrated from South Korea, she holds a bachelor's degree from Yale University and a Ph.D. in art history from Columbia University. In 2012, she founded the contemporary art gallery Various Small Fires. Varet currently resides in Trabuco Canyon, California.