HARRISBURG, Pa. — It was only a few months ago that Harrisburg-area State Representative Patty Kim was exploring a possible run for his first statewide elected position.
Ms. Kim, a five-term Democrat in Dauphin, had formed an exploratory committee to potentially run for lieutenant governor. She started to tour the commonwealth and get a feel for what it might be like as one of the top elected officials in Pennsylvania. However, when presumed Democratic gubernatorial nominee, and current attorney general Josh Shapiro chose Pittsburgh-area representative Austin Davis to be his running mate, Rep. Kim knew it was time to step aside.
State Rep. Kim joined FOX43's Matt Maisel on the Capitol Beat podcast and YouTube show to discuss what went into the decision to possible run for LG and her reaction to her State House 103rd District, which covers Harrisburg and Steelton Borough, potentially splitting as she runs for re-election. The proposed new lines would shift Kim's district to the northern half of Harrisburg, and a number of West Shore municipalities which border the Susquehanna River, including Lemoyne, Wormleysburg, and East Pennsboro.
Patty Kim is one of the commonwealth's leading proponents in raising Pennsylvania's minimum wage from the current federal minimum of $7.25/hour. She discussed the challenges of raising it once again in Governor Wolf's final year in charge.
Kim and Maisel also discussed both having COVID-19 and the challenges of having the virus while trying to parent at the same time. She is also a former news reporter in Harrisburg, and spoke about her growth since leaving the news industry more than a decade ago.
1:02 - Sharing COVID-19 stories
4:46 - Redistricting and running for reelection in a modified district
8:02 - Exploring a run for lieutenant governor
10:33 - Career as news reporter
12:33 - Raising the minimum wage
17:00 - Second Chance employment workshop in Steelton
20:05 - Favorite candies in a news reporter voice (funny!)