David Pan
Candidate for U.S. Representative, Congressional District 46
David Pan is a Republican running for California's 46th District. That district includes Anaheim, Fullerton, Orange, Placentia, Santa Ana, and Stanton. He runs in the 2026 general election. Pan grew up in the Chicago area. His parents were immigrants from Taiwan. He went to public schools there. He then earned a degree from Stanford University. He also earned one from Columbia University. He has taught German at UC Irvine since 2006. Before that, he taught at other schools. Those were Washington University in St. Louis, Stanford, and Penn State. He also worked as a consultant. That was at McKinsey and Company, in Los Angeles. He edited the journal Telos too. From 2019 to 2020, he served on a federal panel. It was the State Department's Commission on Unalienable Rights. Pan ran for this seat once before. That was in 2024. He lost to Democrat Lou Correa. He got 36.6% of the vote in the November 2024 general election. In the June 2, 2026 primary, he finished second with 32.9% of the vote (38,993 votes), behind Correa. He holds no prior elected office. Home: Orange County, California; he works at UC Irvine. He grew up in the Chicago, Illinois area. Occupation: professor of German, UC Irvine. Prior office: none. He lost this same race in 2024. This would be his first elected post, if he wins.
On the issues
- Taxes & Cost of Living
Pan supports replacing existing federal welfare and entitlement programs with a universal basic income and reducing government spending to address inflation and the national debt.
Source → - Health & Health Care
Pan proposes requiring health care price transparency, promoting high-deductible health plans paired with health savings accounts, privatizing Medicare and Medicaid, and providing a $4,000 annual healthcare voucher as part of his broader universal-payment proposal.
Source → - Immigration & Border
Pan calls for securing the border and developing a consistent federal immigration policy, citing concerns about illegal immigration and drug trafficking.
Source → - Education & Schools
Pan supports expanding school choice through charter schools and vouchers for K-12 families, and calls for new accountability and 'diversity of perspectives' requirements attached to federal funding of higher education.
Source → - Government, Elections & Democracy
Pan proposes a constitutional amendment barring government from granting selective benefits to particular groups, aiming to reduce the influence of lobbying and special interests.
Source →
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