David Pan

Who I am and why I’m Running

My parents immigrated to the United States from Taiwan, and I was born and raised with my two sisters in the Chicago area in the 1960s, a time when there was still significant racial discrimination. My parents faced these difficulties with patience and forbearance and always taught the value of hard work and integrity. I owe an unpayable debt of gratitude to them for the sacrifices and indignities that they took on because they believed in the promise of America’s values. We have all been inspired by the incredible progress that has been made toward a color-blind society since that time.

I attended public schools in Chicago and Mount Prospect, Illinois, and went on to attend Stanford University for college and Columbia University for graduate school. I benefited enormously from my mentors at all of these schools. I have worked at Washington University in St. Louis, Stanford University, Pennsylvania State University, and, since 2006, at UC Irvine as a professor of German. My time in academia has led to the decision to seek political office because I have seen how the education establishment has strayed away from the values of merit and equality of opportunity.

Aside from my work at the university, I have worked as a management consultant at McKinsey and Company in Los Angeles, and I have been the editor of the journal Telos, where I have been studying, writing, and speaking about different ways to help our nation. I am honored to have been able to serve as a Commissioner on the Commission on Unalienable Rights at the U.S. State Department from 2019 to 2020.

I am running for Congress because I believe that we need to directly address the serious issues facing our state and nation with clarity and a sense of responsibility for the future.