APAICS | Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies

Record Breaking 29 Asian American and Pacific Islanders Run for US Congress

UPDATED: June 29, 2012

The number of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) challengers running for US Congress shot from 8 in 2010 to a record 29 declared candidates for the 2012 election, so far.

AAPI communities are the fastest growing population in America, according the US Census. This historic number candidates running for US Congress shows the rapid growth of AAPI political engagement as well.

The South Asian population doubled in size in the last ten years. This mirrors trends in political participation as over one third of the congressional candidates are South Asian.

There is also emergence of candidates in areas other than the Western region of the US and US Territories. While Hawai’i and the West Coast continue to flood congressional races with AAPI challengers, we are seeing more AAPI congressional challengers, in the Midwest and the South. For example, two AAPI candidates are faced each other in the primary for Illinois’s 8th District: Tammy Duckworth and Raja Krishnamoorthi, with Duckworth victorious.

On partisan diversity, there are currently five Republican candidates in the mix: Dr. Marisha Agana (OH-13), Ron Bhalla (TN-03), Joe Chow (TX-06), Charles Djou (HI-01), and Ranjit “Ricky” Gill (CA-11). Today, there is only one AAPI Republican serving in the US Congress, namely Rep. Steve Austria (OH-07).

Notably, AAPI candidates are also looking up the political pipeline for the 2012 election. US Rep. Mazie Hirono (HI-02) and State Rep. William Tong (CT-147) declared to run for their respective US Senate seats, though Tong pulled out of his Senate race.

AAPI Congressional Challengers in 2012		Race

Mazie Hirono (D)		US Senate-HI
William Tong (D)		US Senate-CT
Dr. Ami Bera (D)		CA-07
Ranjit “Ricky” Gill (R)		CA-09
Blong Xiong (D)		CA-21
Otto Lee (D)		CA-22
Justin Kim (D)		CA-31
Jay Chen (D)		CA-39
Mark Takano (D)		CA-41
Sukhee Kang (D)		CA-45
Vipin Verma (D)		FL-06
Charles Djou (R)		HI-01
Muliufi Francis “Mufi” Hannemann (D)		HI-02
Tulsi Gabbard (D)		HI-02
Esther Kia’aina (D)		HI-02
Tammy Duckworth (D)		IL-08
Raja Krishnamoorthi (D)		IL-08
Vivek Bavda (D)		IL-10
Dr. Syed Taj (D)		MI-11
Dr. Marisha Agana (R)		OH-13
Upendra Chivukula (D)		NJ-07
Grace Meng (D)		NY-06
Nathan Shinagawa (D)		NY-23
Dr. Manan Trivedi (D)		PA-06
Ron Bhalla (R)		TN-03
Joe Chow (R)		TX-06
KP George (D)		TX-22
Steve Hobbs (D)		WA-01
Darshan Rauniyar (D)		WA-01

This rapid growth of AAPI candidates builds upon legacies of AAPI leaders like US Secretary Norman Y. Mineta, founder of both the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) and APAICS. Just four decades ago, San Jose elected US Secretary Mineta as the first AAPI mayor of a major US city.

Today, CAPAC members are rising in leadership ranks. US Sen. Daniel K. Inouye serves as the Senate president pro tempore, third in line of succession to the US presidency. CAPAC Executive Board member, US Rep. Xavier Becerra (CA-31) was recently appointed to serve on the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, also referred to as the “Super Committee.” US Rep. Mike Honda (CA-15) who served as CAPAC Chair for seven years, currently sits on two influential House committees: the Appropriations and Budget Committees.

US Rep. Judy Chu (CA-32), the first Chinese American woman serving in Congress, continues this legacy by forging new paths and further strengthening our voice as CAPAC Chair. APAICS looks forward to continuing our work with CAPAC in the coming years. APAICS is proud to have an alumni of both the APAICS internship and fellowship programs, Gene Kim, serving as CAPAC executive director.

In addition to national elected offices, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal won his reelection to a second term. He and South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley are the two current AAPI governors in the US.

Lastly, AAPI leaders are also making history in major continental US cities. San Francisco, with AAPIs making up a third of its population, elected its first AAPI mayor, Edwin Lee.

APAICS alumni also saw continued success. APAICS Leadership Academy alumna Mayor Lisa Wong won her reelection in Fitchburg to her third term as the first AAPI female mayor in Massachusetts. Earlier this year in March, APAICS intern alumni Mark Pulido was elected as the first Filipino City Council Member in Cerritos, CA.

The growing political engagement of AAPIs is fueling the community’s influence at all levels of the political process throughout America. APAICS is proud to continue its work in developing our community’s future political leaders.

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The Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS) is a national non-partisan, non-profit 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. Founded in 1994 by former Secretary Norman Y. Mineta, APAICS serves as a resource to Congress and the general public on issues related to the political advancement of Asian Pacific Americans.

By: Terrina

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