Virginian Candidates Talk About Asian American Issues

By Jenny Chen

The race for the Virginia 10th Congressional district seat is shaping up to be an important one. Candidates DelegateBarbara J. Comstock (R), Fairfax County Supervisor John Foust (D), Bill Redpath (L), Dianne Blais (G), and Brad Eickholt (I) are all vying for a seat vacated by Senator Frank Wolf (R). An election filled with drama – dredging up everything from the Clintons to the Korean American community in Northern Virginia – U.S. Chamber’s Senior Vice President and National Political Director Rob Engstrom said in a press conference that this race will be “ one of three or four of the most watched races in America.”

The 10th district is home to a fast growing Asian American community and both Barbara Comstock and John Foust understand that their vote will be important in the upcoming election. John Foust has consciously tapped into the Asian American community through his “AAPI for Foust” webpage (aapiforfoust.com) which features numerous endorsements from Asian Americans in the area including State Delegate Mark Keam, Fairfax County School Board Chair Ilryong Moon, and Herndon Town Council member Grace Han Wolf. “John is thoughtful, respectful, responsive and a champion for the Asian American community. John has enthusiastically supported every elected AAPI official and in return, received our wholehearted endorsement. John has increased the number of appointed Asian Americans to government boards & commissions, he supports increased language access, and is genuinely concerned with issues affecting the local, regional and national AAPI community such as immigration, higher education, health care, and access to job opportunities,” wrote Grace Han Wolf in her endorsement.

Comstock has also reached out to the Asian American community – making appearances at Viet Fest and meeting with Korean American leaders on Korean Independence Day. According to a press release on www.barbaracomstockforcongress.com Comstock met with Korean American leaders and pledged to bring a bill into Congress to rename textbooks in the U.S. from Sea of Japan to East Sea. “With your help and when I am elected to Congress from the 10th District of Virginia, I will introduce a resolution that his same policy be adopted by all states and territories of the United States. The designation ‘East Sea’ is recommended by both the International Hydrographic Organization as well as the United Nations and this should be applied throughout the United States. In addition, the term ‘East Sea’ was used for almost 20000 years until the Empire of Japan changed the name to ‘Sea of Japan’ in an attempt to take away Korea’s national identity,” Comstock wrote in her letter to the Korean American community. Comstock’s critics have noted however, that she identifies herself as a co-patron of the East Sea bill in Virginia when in fact she was one of 16 sponsors, but not one of four chief co-sponsors of the House version of the legislation, identical to a successful Senate bill.

When asked about the bill, Foust told Asian Fortune that both names should be used and that he intends “to find a way to make that happen.” He says that Comstock has used the issue to “pander” to the Korean American community.

Secretary of Commerce and Trade Jim Cheng said in endorsement for Comstock, “Since 2010, Barbara Comstock has been an outstanding leader and legislator in the VA House of Delegates. As a current businessperson and former VA Secretary of Commerce and Trade I know that Barbara has been an especially effective legislator, advancing important pro-business and pro-community legislation. As a constituent and friend, I also know that Barbara has been listening and working with the Asian-American community and is committed to making sure that all our voices are heard.”

Both candidates count jobs and economic revitalization among their top priorities. Foust says on this website that he will advocate for policies that will expand the middle class by creating jobs and opportunities. Foust stated that education was one of the region’s greatest assets in job creation and economic vitality but that his opponent had voted to slash $620 million in state support for our state education system Comstock emphasized in an interview with Asian Fortune that her number one priority was making it easier for businesses to operate in the area. “I know what it’s like to not only sign the back of the check but also the front of the check,” Comstock said, referring to her experience as a small business owner. She also said that one of her priorities was repealing Obamacare because of the undue financial burden and uncertainty it caused for business owners. Comstock also said that she supported expanded telework laws to allow employees more flexibility.

Comstock is not new to the D.C. political scene – she served as a senior aide to Congressman Wolf from 1991-1995. And while that belies previous political experience, it also carries with it a lot of political baggage. During her time on the Hill, Comstock became the chief counsel on the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight. Much of the panel’s investigative work centered on Clinton’s fundraising practices and determining whether he had accepted funds from non-U.S. citizens ahead of the 1996 election according to Politico.Comstock earned a reputation for being dogged and shrewd in her work whose expertise is, as one NYPost article put it, “plowing through dense documents.” Now on the eve of Hillary Clinton’s own possible bid for Presidency, Clinton supporters are watching the Virginia 10th Congressional District election very closely to see if their old adversary will be taking a seat in Congress once again.

As for the obligatory bios, John Foust has been on the Fairfax Board of Supervisors since 2007 and has served on the Board’s Audit committee, vice chairman of the Budget Committee and chairman of the County’s Economic Advisory Commission. He earned his B.A. in economics from the Unviersity of Pittsburgh and his J.D. at George Washington University Law School. Foust says that he hopes that once Republicans and Democrats top demonizing each other, there can be better understanding between the two parties. Foust lives in McLean, Virginia with his wife Dr. Marilyn Jerome and his two sons Matthew and Patrick.

Barbara Comstock earned her B.A. in political science from Middlebury College and her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center. Comstock is a founding partner of Corallo Comstock. She previously worked as a Blank Rome, LLP and Blank Rome Government Relations, LLC. Comstock has served on the in the Virginia House of Delegates since 2010. In the 2014 legislative session Comstock served on the Committees of Commerce and Labor, Science and Technology, and Transportation.

Both Foust and Comstock have been successful in their fundraising campaigns – making this race one of the most expensive in the country. According to the April 14, 2014 campaign finance report Foust had raised $775,760.39 and Comstock had raised $761,354.23.

Editor’s Note: None of the third party candidates responded to requests for comment at the time of printing.