
Pan's victory brings the total number of lawmakers of Chinese descent in the 120th Congress to six.
Democrat Richard Pan defeated incumbent Kevin Kiley in California's 6th Congressional District, bringing the total number of lawmakers of Chinese descent in the upcoming 120th Congress to a record six.
AI-generated summary
The 120th Congress is scheduled to convene in January. Richard Pan's victory adds to the number of Chinese-American lawmakers in the House.
The incoming US Congress is set to include a record six lawmakers of Chinese descent after Democrat Richard Pan won a California House race.
Pan defeated incumbent Kevin Kiley in California’s 6th Congressional District by 15 percentage points, according to the latest results on Wednesday morning, adding another Chinese-American member to the House when the 120th Congress convenes in January.
“I’m proud to be part of the growing Asian-American representation in Congress,” Pan said in a statement to South China Morning Post. “I look forward to continuing that work in Congress by lowering costs for working families, protecting access to healthcare, defending our democracy and ensuring the Asian-American community has more champions in Washington.”

In the U.S. midterm elections in November 2026, the Republican Party suffered heavy setbacks due to high inflation, soaring living costs, and the oil price crisis caused by the Iran war. Despite strong overall economic data, voters are extremely dissatisfied with the Trump administration's economic and tariff policies.

As Democrats look to take back the House of Representatives, Minority Leader Jeff Reese is expected to become the first African-American House Speaker in U.S. history. He plans to take a tough supervisory stance against the Trump administration and push for tax reform and basic wage increases, while facing balancing challenges from moderates and radicals in the party.

In the U.S. Senate race in the midterm elections, the Democratic Party flipped at least 7 seats and regained control. Voter dissatisfaction with prices, war and corruption has hit the Republican Party hard. Trump said he would use his veto power to deal with the Democratic-dominated Congress, and Senate Democratic leader Schumer called this a generational reshaping.

Democrats won both houses of Congress in the midterm elections, fueling expectations of tighter scrutiny of AI and data centres, with implications for US global AI trade and the technology rivalry with China, analysts said.

Democrats' comprehensive victory in the US midterm elections could embolden Congress to assert greater authority over trade policy and scrutinize Trump's deals with China, though analysts say a dramatic shift is unlikely as Trump retains broad executive discretion over tariffs.

Following the midterm elections, analysts suggest the Republican Party faces an internal power struggle between Donald Trump's supporters and traditional establishment figures, despite Trump's previous efforts to consolidate his influence.