Lake Elsinore Mayor Pro Tem Endorses 40th District's Democratic Candidate

LAKE ELSINORE, CA — Lake Elsinore Mayor Pro Tem Tim Sheridan has thrown his support behind Esther Kim-Varet, a democratic candidate vying for Congress in California’s 40th District. This week, Kim-Varet announced Sheridan's support in a news release.

"Sheridan’s endorsement signifies the growing consensus that Kim-Varet is the best candidate to win the General Election in this unexpectedly competitive congressional race," according to a recent news release from the campaign.

Sheridan is the first local elected official from the Riverside County portion of CA-40 to endorse Kim-Varet, the campaign noted.

In his endorsement, Sheridan emphasized Kim-Varet’s consistent outreach to Lake Elsinore and her commitment to understand the community’s needs.

"Esther Kim-Varet is a proven fighter with real business experience,” Sheridan said. “She has been to Lake Elsinore, showing up time and again to hear directly from residents and business owners about the challenges that we face. She has taken time to learn about our city’s greatest asset, our lake. For these reasons, and others, I am proud to endorse Esther. She will work for Lake Elsinore and Riverside County in Congress, and she will continue to show up here!"

Kim-Varet, a self described "non-politician" says she is a working mom of two young kids and is running for congress to restore the aAmerican dream for all. Her primary goals are to "combat corruption, defend democracy, and fight for the middle class, small businesses and public education and healthcare access, according to her website.

She expressed her appreciation for Sheridan’s endorsement, praising his electoral record and commitment to serving his community.

“I’m incredibly honored to earn the endorsement of Mayor Pro Tem Sheridan,” the candidate said. “Tim has been a tireless advocate for working families and businesses in Lake Elsinore and across Riverside County. His leadership and trust mean a great deal to me, especially because he’s seen firsthand that this campaign is about showing up, listening, and fighting for communities that often get ignored. I’m proud to have Tim standing with us as we build the coalition it will take to win this race and deliver real results in Congress.”

Sheridan is joined in his endorsement by Tustin School Board Trustee Allyson Damikolas, State Senator Catherine Blakespear, Congressmember Jasmine Crockett (TX-30), Congressmember Gil Cisneros (CA-31), Congressmember Marilyn Strickland (WA-10), Congressmember Dean Phillips (ret.), Congressmember Harley Rouda (ret.), Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva (AD 67), ASPIRE PAC, and others, according to the news release.

"Kim-Varet’s campaign has seen an influx of support, announcing a $2.5 million fundraising haul in the last calendar year, far outpacing both of her Democratic opponents combined. Kim-Varet is running the strongest and most viable campaign to defeat Young Kim and Ken Calvert in this critical election where control of the House of Representatives is expected to come down to just a few seats."

Thehighly contested 40th Congressional District Seat is a race between two sitting Republican congress members, Young Kim, current CA-40 representative, and Ken Calvert, a longstanding representative for CA-41, who is running for the newly drawn 40th seat.

Democratic candidates include Kim-Varet, Joe Kerr, Lisa Ramirez, Claude Keissieh, Eric Peterson, and Paula Swift. Third party and independent candidates are also running, according to Ballotpedia. The top two candidates from the June 2 primary election will move on to the general election in November.

The newly drawn district will span portions of both Riverside County and Orange County, including the cities of Rancho Santa Margarita, Murrieta, Menifee, Lake Elsinore, Wildomar and Canyon Lake as well as parts of Mission Viejo, Orange, Anaheim, and Corona.