3 Asian American Mayors & ‘Growing political force’

By Jennie L. Ilustre

 

The historic election of three Asian Americans as mayors of Boston, Cincinnati and Seattle is huge, community leaders say. It means the nation’s fastest-growing minority is becoming “a growing political force” as well.

The former Boston councilor and council president is the first woman elected the city’s mayor in 200 years. She is also the first person of color, as well as the first Asian American, to become Boston’s mayor,

The two other historic winners are Mayor-elect Aftab Pureval and Bruce Harrell. They are the first Asian Americans elected as Cincinnati, Ohio mayor and Seattle mayor, respectively.

Both Mayor Wu and Seattle Mayor-elect Harrell won in a landslide, obtaining 64% and 66% of the votes cast, respectively. Another remarkable fact: Two of the cities, Boston and Cincinnati, do not even have Asian majority population.

Due to a mayoral vacancy, Wu was immediately sworn into office on November 16. (Please see the headline story.) Pureval and Harrel will take office in January next year.

AAPI Victory Fund President Varun Nikore said in an email interview that the winning candidates showed that going local, compared with running for national office, is an excellent political model. The three candidates are familiar names to voters, having served in local positions.

“Election night 2021 was a truly historic day for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders or AAPsI, given the three victories,” he said.

The three winning candidates “not only forged a new path, but they also showed that building your political base locally yielded success,” he stressed. “One can only hope that this moment inspires countless others and build their futures through local civic engagement.”

 

‘Political Force’

James Lai, an ethnic studies professor at Santa Clara University, was quoted in an SFGate article as saying the mayoral races are a “beautiful” microcosm of how Asian Americans are a growing political force. Professor Lai’s specialties include Asian American and urban politics.

The article also reported the historic elections would lead to a trend of more representation of Asian Americans in the future.

It quoted Nikore as noting that gains in representation create a legitimate pipeline pathway for public service, whether for elected or appointed office, even if it is just the appointment of more Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders on boards and commissions. He said this ripple effect “lasts – in some cases – decades.”

The gains augur well for the future. Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are still underrepresented in the political field, according to Politico, citing Reflective Democracy Campaign figures.

As of 2020, only about 2 percent of elected city officials were Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. At 22 million, AAPIs make up 6% of the nation’s population, according to Pew data.

The three Asian American mayoral candidates who made history attracted the attention of the mainstream media. They will continue to generate media buzz throughout their political career. This will have a ripple effect, and it also augurs well for future AAPI candidates.

The mayoral races in Boston, Cincinnati and Seattle, the VOA pointed out, drew just as much national attention as the tight gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey.

 

Cincinnati Mayor

In Ohio, Mayor-elect Aftab Pureval was elected as Cincinnati’s 70th Mayor. Pureval, 39, is the son of Indian and Tibetan immigrants. He is the first Asian American elected as Cincinnati’s mayor.

Pureval said he was humbled to be a part of the wave of newly-elected Asian American mayors, according to a Voice of America report. It quoted him as saying, “Representation matters, and this is only the beginning.”

Aftab is the current Hamilton County Clerk of Courts. He was the first Democrat elected to this office in more than 100 years.

As mayor, Aftab will rebuild the economy “to make sure prosperity is shared in every corner” of the city. He will “reform the police department and invest in public safety so every neighborhood is safe. He will also create “more affordable housing and improve public transportation.”

 

Seattle, Washington

Bruce Harrell, 63, is half-Black and half-Japanese. He is the first Asian American elected as Seattle’s mayor. Like Boston Mayor Wu, he won in a landslide, garnering 66% of the votes cast.

His campaign, VOA noted, focused on addressing Seattle’s homelessness problem, systemic racism and implicit bias among first responders, and increasing the city’s police force.

“In a moment of racial reckoning, a housing and homelessness crisis, and pandemic-driven economic downturn,” Harrell said during his campaign, “we need a mayor with the experience and skills to unite our city, heal divisions and restore confidence in who we are and what we can accomplish together.”