Eric Ching

Ching was born in Taipei, Taiwan, and according to his Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey he immigrated to the United States in 1982 at age 15 with limited English; his first job was washing dishes.[1] He graduated from Alhambra High School and earned a bachelor's degree from California State University, Los Angeles, in 1995.[1] He says he studied marketing and opened his own company in his early 20s, and Ballotpedia lists his profession as entrepreneur and notes work as an IT professional.[1]

Ching says he served on the Walnut city council for over a decade and twice as mayor, and that the city was ranked among the best to live in, was financially sound, and had over 200% in reserves when he left office.[1] He ran for Congress in California's 38th District in 2022 and 2024 as a Republican, losing the general election to Rep. Linda Sánchez both times.[1] He was the Republican nominee for California's 31st Congressional District in 2026.[1] He received 33.9% of the vote to Gil Cisneros's 66.1%, according to unofficial results reported by NBC News.[2]

Ching describes himself as a Christian and says that after his wife died in 2017 he raised his two daughters alone.[1] Ballotpedia lists his affiliations with the Wanyu Foundation, Pastor Prayer Network, and City Blessing Church.[1]