Kristin Mink to Run For County Council in District 5

Democrat Kristin Mink has announced she will file to run for County Council in the newly designated District 5. Prior to Montgomery County’s new district map being finalized, Mink announced an at-large run.

Mink is a lifelong Montgomery County resident and former MCPS teacher. She made headlines back in 2018 when she confronted Scott Pruitt, then head of the Trump Administration’s EPA, at a D.C. restaurant.

Press Release:

December 16, 2021 –– Kristin Mink, a first-generation Chinese American, mom of two, and former MCPS teacher, announced with a video released on social media today that she is entering the District 5 County Council race and has already met the requirements for public financing. Mink reported that the campaign so far has 213 Montgomery County donors, raised $30,493, and expects to qualify for $47,445 in public matching funds for a total of $77,938. Prior to the county’s new district map being finalized, Mink had announced an at-large run.

Mink’s national profile grew from a viral 2018 encounter with Trump’s Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Scott Pruitt, in which Mink told him to “resign before your scandals push you out,” followed by his resignation three days later. Mink has been involved in local and federal advocacy for years. She is currently the Senior Legislative Organizer for the Center for Popular Democracy, where she organizes protests with grassroots advocacy groups and connects impacted people with Congressmembers to drive policy change for social, racial, economic, and climate justice.

Now, the lifelong Montgomery County resident will bring the same determination and strategic coordination to the County Council to deliver for the newly created District 5. “I’ve seen East County get the short end of the stick over and over again,” Mink said. “Now that redistricting has given us our own district, it’s a huge opportunity to finally have our own champion – someone who will bring community voices to the table, fight for what’s needed, and organize to actually make it happen.”

Mink is no stranger to making things happen quickly when needed. Last March, she co-founded Masks For America, a volunteer-run nonprofit that worked with labor unions and mutual aid groups to deliver 2 million pieces of crowd-funded PPE to frontliners and marginalized communities across the country. Later, when she saw that transportation was a barrier to receiving the COVID vaccine in Montgomery County, she launched a local effort that provided hundreds of rides to and from appointments to those who needed it most.

“For years, East County has been told to wait – for jobs, for housing, for renter protections, for true investment,” said Mink. “No more waiting. We’re going to stand together, and we’re going to get things done. This is a new day for the new District 5.”

Mink is scheduled to file for the District 5 race this Friday, and will file for public matching funds shortly thereafter. If elected, Mink will be the first Asian American ever seated on the County Council.