Politics

Asian Fortune magazine’s new column explores news, views and cues in the exciting political sphere. The column touches the three branches of the federal government, state-level political tidbits, little known historical facts, and on occasion, a dose of gossip.   Asian Americans Retain Congressional Seats In several primaries around the country on June 3, 2014, Asian-American incumbents held on to …

By Michelle Phipps-Evans The state of Maryland hosted their primary elections at the end of June. Reports put Maryland’s voter turnout as the lowest in years for a primary, many postulating that interest in the candidates were low. However, one organization that wants to continue lending a political voice to the democracy of the state is the Coalition of Asian …

In June, Virginia’s 8th Congressional District will be holding it’s primaries. Longtime U.S. Rep. Jim Moran (D-8) announced that he would not be seeking a 13th term in Congress and since then, nine candidates have announced their intention to run in the June primary, setting the stage for the most expensive primary fights in recent memory. According to the Virginia …

  Compiled by Michelle Phipps Evans Asian Fortune magazine’s new column explores news, views and cues in the exciting political sphere. The column touches the three branches of the federal government, state-level political tidbits, little known historical facts, and on occasion, a dose of gossip. May Recognized as AAPI Heritage Month DC Mayor Vincent C. Gray designated the month of …

By Michelle Phipps-Evans This month Asian Fortune is introducing a new column that explores news, views and cues in the exciting political sphere. The column will touch on the three branches of the federal government, state-level political tidbits, little known historical facts, and on occasion, a dose of gossip. Amendments to Bring Filipino WWII Vets Closer to Family Reunification Stall …

By Corih Kim On April 4, 2014, Westgate Realty Group and the Vietnamese community sponsored a Q&A event with Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia to talk about the economic hardships currently facing small business owners. Grace Han Wolf of Herndon City Council and Cindy Shao of Asian Chamber of Commerce also made an appearance. In his speech, Sen. Kaine credited …

By Devika Koppikar April 8th was a Tuesday night.  But, that didn’t stop more than 100 busy professionals from packing the Rockville home of Devang and Ami Shah for a chance to meet Lt. Governor Anthony Brown and Howard County Executive Ken Ulman.  Brown and Ulman are seeking the Democratic nomination for Maryland’s Governor and Lt. Governor, respectively.  The primary …

By Lily Qi Maryland has an unusually early primary election this year, June 24, about three months earlier than past elections. As the date gets closer, election campaign activities are heating up. It’s encouraging to see more Asian Americans getting involved in the political process, from hosting meet-n-greet to participating in fundraisers. What’s more remarkable is that most Asian-themed events, …

By Aurora de Peralta Washington, DC – DC Mayor Vincent Gray and the Mayor’s Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs (OAPIA) welcomed the Lunar New Year with AAPI seniors at a tea event on Tuesday, Feb. 11 at the Chinatown Wah Luck House. Gray is the first DC mayor to greet the Lunar New Year with DC residents, according …

January 9, 2014 – Yesterday, President Obama announced his intent to nominate the first Asian American to a Deputy Secretary position since his years as a president. Christopher P. Lu first joined the President’sWhite House as Assistant to the President and Cabinet Secretary from 2009 to 2013. If confirmed, Lu will replace deputy secretary Seth Harris, who had been in …

By Derek Mong Potomac, Md. – Congressman Chris Van Hollen (MD-08) joined the Asian American Political Alliance (AAPA) and other Asian American community leaders the morning of Nov. 16 at the house of Michael Lin, Preesident of AAPA, to share his thoughts on a handful of important public policy issues facing the Asian American community. Van Hollen represents Maryland’s Eighth …

By Michelle Phipps-Evans In the 2012 presidential election, Asian Americans turned to the Democratic Party and voted in favor of President Barack Obama by a ratio of three to one over Republican challenger, Governor Mitt Romney. According to a survey by the Asian American Justice Center, Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote) and the National Asian American Survey, 73 …

 By Jennie L. Ilustre Photos: JLI Falls Church, Virginia–US Congressman Bobby Scott urged a big Democratic turn out at the polls at the official launching of the Democratic Asian Americans of Virginia (DAAV), held here on October 1. Saying there’s a lot at stake in the Virginia elections, he noted that “if the same people who voted five years ago …

Virginia governor candidate Terry McAuliffe and Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli as well as other candidates running for political office participated in the first minority forum organized by the Asian American Chamber of Commerce, the Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Northern Virginia Black Chamber of Commerce on Oct 6th.  During the forum, candidates discussed their plans and goals to …

Asian Fortune asked for candidates running in the Virginia general elections to write about how they will reach out to the Asian American community. We received essays from State Senator Mark Herring (D), who is running for Attorney General against State Senator Mark Obenshain (R), House Delegate Jim LeMunyon (R) running for re-election, and Patrice Winter (R) who is also …

Solon Urges Party’s Voter Turnout for VA Candidates By Jennie L. Ilustre   Falls Church, Virginia–US Congressman Bobby Scott urged a big Democratic turn out at the polls at the official launching of the Democratic Asian Americans of Virginia (DAAV), held here on October 1. Saying there’s a lot at stake in the Virginia elections, he noted that “if the same …

By Michelle Phipps-Evans Hung Nguyen generally refers to himself as a small business owner and as a community activist and leader. The immigrant from Vietnam knows one thing for certain: he’s not comfortable being referred to as a politician. “Politicians have a bad ‘rep.,’ and I’m not running to be a politician,” said Nguyen, 41, who recently announced his candidacy …

By Jennie L. Ilustre Washington, D.C.–House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (CA) and Majority Leader Eric Cantor led fellow legislators at a Republican Meetup with Korean Americans, celebrating the strong 60-year alliance of the United States and South Korea. They joined other Republican Members of Congress in emphasizing that the two nations and peoples share the same values of …

By Jennie L. Ilustre Congresswoman Judy Chu (D, CA), Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), has joined forces with other leaders to fight for family reunification in the comprehensive immigration reform bill. “There is absolutely no reason why we can’t have both family-based and work-based visa programs at the same time,” she said at the CAPAC ceremony …

By Lieutenant Janelle Kuroda, JAG Corps, U.S. Navy WASHINGTON—President Obama awarded World War II veteran Terry T. Shima the 2012 Presidential Citizens Medal, the nation’s second-highest civilian award, at a ceremony in the East Room of the White House on Feb. 15, 2013. Shima was one of 18 recipients of the medal, hand-selected by the President from over 6,000 candidates …

The Embassy also held a farewell reception for Ambassador Zhang on Feb. 21. Top members of the diplomatic corps were on hand, as more than 300 people from the business community, think tanks, media and the Chinese community. A new ambassador from China is expected to arrive in Washington sometime in late March or early April.  

By Michelle Phipps-Evans WASHINGTON, D.C.—Mayor Vincent C. Gray administered the oath of office to newly appointed members of the District of Columbia’s Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander (API) Affairs, Feb. 8 at the John A. Wilson Building. D.C. About a hundred guests looked on as nine community members and 10 government agency ex-officio members were sworn in.   The …

By Andy Liu  

Washington, D.C.—As of March 4, 2013, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security will permit certain visa applicants to file for family unity waivers within the United States, reducing the amount of time families must spend apart. “We applaud the Obama Administration for prioritizing family unity by easing burdensome bureaucratic hurdles,” said Erin E. Oshiro, senior staff attorney at the Asian …