Asian Fortune Your source for all things Asian American
By Jennie L. Ilustre
The year 2021 will see more Asian Americans take public office at all levels, some of them making history in the process. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris was not the only American candidate of Asian ancestry who won big in the November elections. According to the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS), a total of 167 Asian American candidates won at the federal, state, city and local levels.
Some of them also made history like Kamala. Kamala, whose late mother was South Asian American and her father Jamaican American, is the first female, the first Asian American, and the first Black who will become the nation’s Vice President. She will be sworn in on January 20, 2021, after the inauguration of Joe Biden as President of the United States.
Of the total Asian American Democratic and Republican candidates, 19 won at the federal level, 125 at the state level, two at the statewide level and 21 at the local level.
“More Asian American and Pacific Islanders or AAPIs are running for office than ever before,” said APAICS President & CEO Madalene Xuan-Trang Mielke. She emailed the APAICS list of 2020 election results for federal and state legislative races. The list showed a grand total of 346 who ran in the recent elections. APAICS has urged others to add to the list. (For its tracked list, please visit http://apaics.org/ Candidates Pipeline.)
Notably, the list includes women, a welcome trend that has risen over the years. In the recent cycle, a total of 71 out of more than a hundred candidates won at the federal, state and statewide races.
Remarked APAICS President & CEO Mielke: “It was inspiring to see the number of women who ran for office this year. As a part of our work at APAICS, we’ve recorded 145 women who’ve run for office across all levels of government, with 110 of them running in their general elections. We encourage everyone to check out our AAPI Candidates Pipeline to get a sense of who ran this past election cycle.”
Historic Winners
“This year had a number of AAPI ‘Firsts,” Mielke added. “Representatives-elect Young Kim, Michelle Steel and Marilyn Strickland became the first Korean-American women elected to Congress. Francesca Hong is the first Asian American woman elected to the Wisconsin state legislature.”
Former Tacoma Mayor Strickland won the open seat in Washington’s 10th Congressional District, according to the Associated Press. Strickland is the first Black representative from Washington State. She also made history as the nation’s first Korean American woman elected to Congress.
Two Indian Americans, who were elected to the New York State Assembly, became the first-ever South Asians voted into the lower house of the State Legislature. NBC reported Jenifer Rajkumar won 66 percent of the votes and Zohran Mamdani won 72 percent. Both are Democrats from Queens.
Incredible Progress
On May 16, 1994, when then US Congressman Norman Mineta founded the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS), his goal was to get Asian Americans elected and appointed at every level.
APAICS is “a national non-partisan, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting Asian Pacific American participation and representation at all levels of the political process, from community service to elected office. APAICS programs focus on developing leadership, building public policy knowledge, and filling the political pipeline for Asian Pacific Americans to pursue public office at the local, state, and federal levels.”
Mineta told this writer, jokingly: “When we started in the US Congress, we were so few that when we met, we could all fit in the telephone booth.”
Ah yes, telephone booths, so yesterday. Today, advanced technology and elected and appointed Asian American officials – at the federal, state, city and local levels – have reached unbelievable progress. Years ago, who would believe US Senator Kamala Harris would become the nation’s first female, first Asian American, and first Black Vice President? And that this early, she is already considered as a frontrunner to become President of the United States?
It will be recalled that Mineta himself made history, too. President Bill Clinton, a Democrat, appointed him Secretary of Commerce. President George W. Bush, a Republican, named him Secretary of Transportation.
US Congress
The recent elections also included races in the US Congress: All 435-member House of Representatives and a third of the 100-member Senate.
Representatives-elect Kim, Steel and Strickland, the first Korean American women elected to the 117th US Congress, will be welcome additions to the Asian Americans in the nation’s lawmaking body.
They will join the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. CAPAC is comprised of Members of Congress of Asian and Pacific Islander descent (in the Senate and in the House), as well as other Members “who have a strong dedication to promoting the well-being of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community.”
CAPAC is chaired by Rep. Judy Chu (CA-27). In the House, other members include Rep. Bobby Scott (VA-03); Rep. Doris O. Matsui (CA-06); Rep. Ami Bera (CA-07); Rep. Ted Lieu (CA-33); Rep. Mark Takano (CA-41); Rep. Barbara Lee (CA-13); Rep. T.J. Cox (CA-21); Rep Jimmy Gomez (CA-34); Rep. Gil Cisneros (CA-39); Rep. Al Green (TX-09); Rep. Grace Meng (NY-06); Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08); Rep. Andy Kim (NJ-03); Rep. Pramila Jayapal (WA-07); Rep. Ed Case (HI-03); Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02); and Rep. Andy Kim (NJ-03).
“Sky is the limit”
Chair and Congresswoman Chu said CAPAC is “extremely proud of our very own Kamala Harris, who broke one of the highest glass ceilings by becoming the first woman, first Asian American, and first African American Vice President-elect in our nation’s history. As the daughter of immigrants, she is a living example of the American Dream and a testament to millions of young girls across the nation that the sky is the limit.”
APAICS President & CEO Mielke pointed out. “There were three AAPIs who ran in the presidential primary who brought ideas to the national forefront.” “And we look forward to seeing more AAPIs running in the future who will bring their lived experiences and perspectives to the public policy dialogue.”
Remarked former US Congressman Mineta: “I always say that individuals always have two things to themselves, their name and their integrity. With the increase in AAPIs running and winning races, we’re seeing a spectrum of names and identities sitting at these important decision-making tables.”
He added: “This shouldn’t dissuade those who want to pursue public office because they think their identity is an obstacle. Rather, this election ought to encourage those to be proud of who they are, what they represent, and that they should take every measure to preserve their identity, whether it’s being politically engaged or running for office.”
