Asian Americans & the 2004 Election
AsianWeek, News Reports, Posted: Nov 16, 2004
On the West Coast
WESTMINSTER, Calif. — Republican Van Tran, 40, has become the first Vietnamese American elected to a state legislature.
Van, a staunch anti-communist, anti-abortion conservative, readily admits the impact of the Vietnam War on his development.
“I’m a product of the Vietnam War as much as John Kerry and George Bush,” he said.
In addition to public safety and transportation, small-business assistance and fighting illegal immigration will be his priorities.
“Everyone is proud of him,” said Ngo Ky, a self-described activist in Garden Grove. “He doesn’t belong to his family anymore. He belongs to the community.”
“Van in my opinion is the poster child for the American dream,” said Westminster City Councilman Andy Quach.
Linda Vo, an Asian American studies professor at UC Irvine, agreed: “This symbolizes to many that the community is getting more engaged in the political system and is fostering more leaders.”
On the East Coast
NEW YORK — Voters in Queens’ ethnically diverse 22nd Assembly District sent the first Asian American to the New York State Legislature, with Flushing businessman Jimmy Meng garnering 70% of the votes.
Meng attributed his victory to community outreach. “I campaigned door by door,” he said.
The district’s boundaries were re-drawn in 2001 with the aim of getting an Asian American elected to the Legislature. Meng ran in 2002 but lost to fellow Democrat Barry Grodenchik. He beat incumbent Grodenchik in this year’s primary amid some controversy over the role of race in the election.
Taiwanese-born Meng has lived in Queens for 25 years with his wife and three children. He has been active in both the ethnic and business communities.
Flushing is known for its diverse population; 51% of residents in the Assembly district are Asian American. It is also home to New York’s first Asian American city councilman, John Liu.
In Outer Space
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — With a quick computer key stroke, space station astronaut Leroy Chiao became the first American to vote for a president from space, casting an encrypted ballot via e-mail.
“It was just a small thing for me, but it is important symbolically to show that every vote does count,” Chiao said from the international space station a few hours after the polls opened 225 miles below.
His ballot traveled via a secure e-mail connection to Mission Control in Houston, which forwarded it to the Galveston County clerk in Texas in Chiao’s earthly hometown.
The son of Chinese immigrants, Chiao feels too many Americans take the right to vote for granted.
“People in my ancestry haven’t always had the right to vote, and it’s something that kind of hits home for me,” he said.
Indian American Candidates Election Summary
Nov. 2, 2004
Bobby Jindal (R-La.)
U.S. House of Representatives, Louisiana 1st Congressional District
WON with 78.3% (217,719) of the vote
Swati Dandekar (D-Iowa)
Iowa House of Representatives, District 36
WON with 54.4% (9,772) of the vote
Nikki Randhawa-Haley (R-S.C.)
South Carolina House of Representatives, District 87
WON with 98.9% (14,420) of the vote
Shinku Sharma (Calif.)
Board Member, Saratoga Union School District (Santa Clara County)
WON with 25.5% (1,895) of the vote
Jagrup Sidhu (Calif.)
Kerman City Council (Fresno County)
WON with 41.4% (937) of the vote
Harry Sidhu (Calif.)
Anaheim City Council (Orange County)
WON with 18.3% (17,846) of the vote
Mital Gandhi (D.C.)
Advisory Neighborhood Commission of Northwest Washington
WON with 59.3% (303) of the vote
Rajendra Ratnesar (Calif.)
Member, Board of Directors, Eden Township Health Care District (Alameda County)
WON with 35.8% (35,794) of the vote
*Election results are courtesy of the Indian American Leadership Initiative and the Indian American Center for Political Awareness.
Vietnamese American Candidates Won Election in 2004
Texas
Huy Vo — Texas State Assembly
Northern California
Lan Nguyen — East Side Union High School District
Southern California
Janet Nguyen — Garden Grove City Council
Van Tran — California State Assembly
Kim Oanh Nguyen-Lam — Garden Grove Unified School District
Trung Nguyen — Garden Grove Unified School District
First Elected Mayor of West Sacto
In West Sacramento’s first direct election of a mayor, incumbent Christopher Cabaldon easily defeated challenger Tom Martin.
With all 19 precincts reporting, Cabaldon captured 69% of the vote.
“To me,” Cabaldon said, “this shows there is a broad consensus in our community about the direction we’ve taken and the pride we have in what we’re accomplishing.”
Since West Sacramento became a city in 1987, the largely ceremonial position of mayor has been rotated nearly every year. Under the new system, the mayor will remain one of five voting members on the City Council but will serve for two instead of four years. And as with the rest of the City Council, the mayor’s job will continue to be part time, with a monthly salary of $300.
First APA Councilman for Alhambra
ALHAMBRA, Calif. — Gary Yamauchi will become the first Asian American to serve on the City Council in this city that is almost 50% APA. He beat Veronica Alvarez in a four-way race by 302 votes.
“The spotlight will be a little on me as far as the Asian community is concerned. I have to really try that much harder to show them that I’m the first and a good representative and there could be others in the future,” Yamauchi, a third-generation Japanese American, told the Pasadena Star-News.
Yamauchi ran on a more establishment platform, aligning himself with the mayor’s supporters and resisting the reform slate. Aside from the new APA presence on the City Council, the racial composition of Alhambra’s elected bodies will not change appreciably.
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