Irene Shin
Virginia politician
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Irene Shin is an American politician and former non-profit executive serving as a delegate of the Virginia House of Delegates since 2022. Shin represents the 8th district, encompassing parts of Chantilly, Herndon, Oak Hill, and Reston. A Democrat, she defeated incumbent Ibraheem Samirah in the Democratic primary in 2021.[2] On June 3, 2025, Shin announced her candidacy for the special election in Virginia's 11th congressional district to replace deceased incumbent Gerry Connolly. However, she lost the primary, placing second behind fellow Democrat James Walkinshaw.[3]
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8th district (2024–present)
Irene Shin | |
|---|---|
Shin in 2025 | |
| Member of the Virginia House of Delegates | |
| Assumed office January 12, 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Ibraheem Samirah |
| Constituency | 86th district (2022–2024) 8th district (2024–present) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 7, 1987[1][citation needed] Glendale, California, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Education | University of California, Riverside (BA) |
Early life and education
The daughter of Korean immigrants, she was born in Glendale, California and raised in Greater Los Angeles.[4] She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of California, Riverside in 2010.[5]
Career
Shin has worked on various Democratic political campaigns, including as finance director for then-Senator Kamala Harris.[6] Until 2024, she was the executive director of non-profit Virginia Civic Engagement Table.[4] Shin serves on the Tysons Transportation District Service Advisory Board for Fairfax County.[7]
In December 2024, Shin was selected to join the 2025-2026 Prenatal-to-Three Innovation Fellowship cohort, hosted by Future Caucus for young legislators invested in building bipartisan policy addressing key healthcare issues.[8][9]
Virginia House of Delegates
2021 election
She announced a primary campaign against Delegate Ibraheem Samirah for District 86 in 2021.[10] Despite challenging an incumbent Democrat, Shin received support from the Virginia Democratic Party establishment including multiple state legislators.[11] She defeated Samirah in the June primary by 230 votes and out-raised him by over $100,000.[2]
She defeated Republican Julie Perry in the general election by a margin of 65–34%.[12]
Tenure
On June 3, 2025, Shin announced her candidacy for the special election in Virginia's 11th congressional district to replace deceased incumbent Gerry Connolly.[3] U.S. senator Andy Kim from New Jersey endorsed her and was featured in her opening campaign video.[13] She finished second in the firehouse primary on June 28 with 14.3% of the vote, losing to James Walkinshaw.[14]
Personal life
Electoral history
2021
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Irene Shin | 3,415 | 51.7 | |
| Democratic | Ibraheem Samirah (incumbent) | 3,185 | 48.3 | |
| Total votes | 6,600 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Irene Shin | 19,296 | 65.4 | |
| Republican | Julie Perry | 10,116 | 34.3 | |
| Write-in | 90 | 0.3 | ||
| Total votes | 29,502 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
2023
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Irene Shin (incumbent) | 14,851 | 67.65% | |
| Republican | Max Fisher | 7,023 | 31.99% | |
| Write-in | 79 | 0.36% | ||
| Total votes | 21,953 | 100% | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
2025
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | James Walkinshaw | 22,403 | 59.64% | |
| Democratic | Irene Shin | 5,368 | 14.29% | |
| Democratic | Stella Pekarsky | 5,043 | 13.43% | |
| Democratic | Amy Roma | 2,697 | 7.18% | |
| Democratic | Dan Lee | 710 | 1.89% | |
| Democratic | Leopoldo Martínez Nucete | 498 | 1.33% | |
| Democratic | Amy Papanu | 396 | 1.05% | |
| Democratic | Priya Punnoose | 232 | 0.62% | |
| Democratic | Candice Bennett | 190 | 0.51% | |
| Democratic | Ross William Branstetter IV | 25 | 0.07% | |
| Total votes | 37,562 | 100.00% | ||