DemocratRunning for CA-40 U.S. House · 2026
Esther Kim Varet
Esther Jin Kim Varet is an American art dealer and gallerist, best known as the founder and director of the contemporary art gallery Various Small Fires (VSF) in Los Angeles. She established VSF in 2012 as a project space in her home and has grown it into a gallery with locations in Los Angeles and Orange County. Kim Varet has been noted as a prominent figure in the L.A. art scene, credited with launching the careers of several artists and drawing institutional attention to her gallery's program. In 2025, she announced a campaign for a seat in the U.S. Congress, running as a Democrat in California's 40th congressional district.
In brief
AI · verified vs data · 2026-07-04
Esther Kim Varet is an art dealer and gallerist who founded the contemporary art gallery Various Small Fires in Los Angeles in 2012, growing it into a multi-location operation. She is running for the U.S. House seat in California's 40th district as a Democrat. Varet and her opponent, Ken Calvert, are effectively tied in polling at around 44%. She has raised roughly $3 million. The race leans Republican.
43.5%
Polling average
our aggregate
$2.9M
Raised this cycle
FEC · committee
Independence scorecard
Computed · FEC money mixWho Varet's money comes from.
A−
80/100
Independence index
Funding mix leans independent — pac independence is the standout.
0 watch items
Small-dollar reliance94
47% of individual + PAC money from donors under $200
PAC independence100
0% of individual + PAC money from PACs
In-state funding55
45% of itemized receipts come from out of state
Outside-money exposure72
$1.1M in outside spending supports the campaign
MONEY-MIX INDEX, COMPUTED FROM FEC FILINGS ONLY: SMALL-DOLLAR SHARE, PAC RELIANCE, IN-STATE MONEY AND OUTSIDE (IE) SPENDING. IT DOES NOT SCORE VOTES OR DONOR–VOTE ALIGNMENT. HIGHER = MORE INDEPENDENT · GREEN ≥70 · AMBER 50–69 · RED <50.
Governing & voting record
—
No legislative record
Roll-call votes and sponsored bills are collected for members of Congress from congress.gov. There is no roll-call source for this office yet.
Where they stand
—
Key positions not yet compiled
Positions are drawn from the candidate's public record and statements. We haven't compiled a verified set for this candidate yet.
How they vote
—
No party-unity or ideology scores
Party-unity and DW-NOMINATE ideology scores are only available for candidates with a congressional roll-call record.
Ratings from advocacy groups
—
No advocacy-group ratings
Interest-group scorecards have no machine-readable feed — they're curated per candidate, and none are on file yet.
Career & history
—
No career timeline
Career history is built from Wikipedia / Wikidata records. No matching public record was found for this candidate.
Public favorability
—
No favorability data
This candidate isn't tracked by YouGov's public-figure panel, and no published state polling on their favorability was found.
Donors & money
FEC itemized filings · cycle-to-dateWho funds the campaign.
$2.9M
Raised
$2.6M
Spent
$266k
Cash on hand
Source of funds · individual + PAC
47% small (<$200)53% large indiv.0% PAC
55% in-state · 45% out-of-state (itemized)
OWN-COMMITTEE TOTALS FROM FEC FILINGS THROUGH 2026-05-13 · INDUSTRY GROUPS ARE ITEMIZED RECEIPTS CLASSIFIED BY EMPLOYER — A KEYWORD APPROXIMATION, NOT OPENSECRETS CODING. SOURCE: FEC ↗
Race
The contest Varet is running in.
CA · HOUSE · 2026lean r
Varet (D) vs Ken Calvert (R)
43.5%−0.5 Calvert44%
Open full race detail →
Sources & provenance
Biography
Public record
Wikipedia + state records
Money & donors
FEC filings
itemized + committee totals
ALL FIGURES DRAWN FROM PUBLICLY AVAILABLE RECORDS · CANDIDATE PROFILES ARE NONPARTISAN AND CARRY NO ENDORSEMENT.
Related coverage
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Election results 2026: Live updates for the California Primary Election
nytimes.com · 2026-06-30
Highlights From June 2 Primary Election Day in California
nytimes.com · 2026-06-29
California 40th Congressional District Primary Election Results
apnews.com · 2026-06-29
California Primary Results 2026: House and Governor
Democrat · CA-40 U.S. House
Esther Kim Varet
Esther Jin Kim Varet is an American art dealer and gallerist, best known as the founder and director of the contemporary art gallery Various Small Fires (VSF) in Los Angeles. She established VSF in 2012 as a project space in her home and has grown it into a gallery with locations in Los Angeles and Orange County. Kim Varet has been noted as a prominent figure in the L.A. art scene, credited with launching the careers of several artists and drawing institutional attention to her gallery's program. In 2025, she announced a campaign for a seat in the U.S. Congress, running as a Democrat in California's 40th congressional district.
Where Varet standsRace →
Varet 43.5%Ken Calvert 44%
43.5%
Poll avg
$2.9M
Raised
In brief
AI · verified vs data · 2026-07-04Esther Kim Varet is an art dealer and gallerist who founded the contemporary art gallery Various Small Fires in Los Angeles in 2012, growing it into a multi-location operation. She is running for the U.S. House seat in California's 40th district as a Democrat. Varet and her opponent, Ken Calvert, are effectively tied in polling at around 44%. She has raised roughly $3 million. The race leans Republican.
Governing & voting record
—
No legislative record
Roll-call votes and sponsored bills are collected for members of Congress from congress.gov. There is no roll-call source for this office yet.
Where they stand
—
Key positions not yet compiled
Positions are drawn from the candidate's public record and statements. We haven't compiled a verified set for this candidate yet.
Career & history
—
No career timeline
Career history is built from Wikipedia / Wikidata records. No matching public record was found for this candidate.
Public favorability
—
No favorability data
This candidate isn't tracked by YouGov's public-figure panel, and no published state polling on their favorability was found.
Independence scorecard
Who Varet's money comes from.
A−
80/100
Independence index
Funding mix leans independent — pac independence is the standout.
0 watch items
Small-dollar reliance94
47% of individual + PAC money from donors under $200
PAC independence100
0% of individual + PAC money from PACs
In-state funding55
45% of itemized receipts come from out of state
Outside-money exposure72
$1.1M in outside spending supports the campaign
MONEY-MIX INDEX, COMPUTED FROM FEC FILINGS ONLY: SMALL-DOLLAR SHARE, PAC RELIANCE, IN-STATE MONEY AND OUTSIDE (IE) SPENDING. IT DOES NOT SCORE VOTES OR DONOR–VOTE ALIGNMENT. HIGHER = MORE INDEPENDENT · GREEN ≥70 · AMBER 50–69 · RED <50.
How they vote
—
No party-unity or ideology scores
Party-unity and DW-NOMINATE ideology scores are only available for candidates with a congressional roll-call record.
Ratings from advocacy groups
—
No advocacy-group ratings
Interest-group scorecards have no machine-readable feed — they're curated per candidate, and none are on file yet.
Donors & money
$2.9M
Raised
$2.6M
Spent
$266k
Cash on hand
Source of funds · individual + PAC
47% small (<$200)53% large indiv.0% PAC
55% in-state · 45% out-of-state (itemized)
OWN-COMMITTEE TOTALS FROM FEC FILINGS THROUGH 2026-05-13 · INDUSTRY GROUPS ARE ITEMIZED RECEIPTS CLASSIFIED BY EMPLOYER — A KEYWORD APPROXIMATION, NOT OPENSECRETS CODING. SOURCE: FEC ↗
Sources & provenance
Biography
Public record
Wikipedia + state records
Money & donors
FEC filings
itemized + committee totals
ALL FIGURES DRAWN FROM PUBLICLY AVAILABLE RECORDS · CANDIDATE PROFILES ARE NONPARTISAN AND CARRY NO ENDORSEMENT.