Record number of AAPI candidates running for state legislatures

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The Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus of Calif. is made up Assembly and Senate members.

This blog has written extensively on the efforts of AAPI candidates running for Congress and -- of course -- the historic bid of Democratic Vice President nominee Kamala Harris. 

There is another political wave generated by AAPIs that is occurring almost unnoticed by media focusing on the big, national picture: A record number of AAPI candidates are running for state legislatures.

The heightened interest in running for office could perhaps be attributed by the highly visible Democratic presidential primary that featured three AAPI candidates, Tulsi Gabbard, Andrew Yang and Harris. For whatever reason, there is a record number of AAPI candidates running for state legislature seats across the country this year whose candidacies should be noted. AAPI Data points out that 158 Asian Americans are running for state legislatures, an increase of 21 Asian American state legislature candidates since the 2018 midterms.

Local political races, from city councils and school boards to state legislatures is where the next generation of politicians will learn the ins-and-outs of politicking and hone their political muscles for the next level of law making.

Out of the 158 candidates, 75% (117) are Democrats and 25% (39) are Republicans, a reflection of a national trend moving the AAPI political views to left of center, according to AAPI Data. 

The Republican candidates are not necessarily concentrated in red states; many Asian Americans, such as June Yang Cutter and current State Senator Ling Ling Chang, are running for state legislatures in Democratic states like California.

The non-partisan data collection initiative, AAPI Data, reports that Chinese and Japanese Americans make up the largest portion of the state candidates: 42 are Chinese and 36 are Japanese. Perhaps because they have been at this political game longer and better established in their respective communities, East Asians -- which includes Chinese and Korean Americans -- are only about one third of the Asian American population, they nevertheless make up about 61% of the Asian American state legislature candidates. 

South Asians show the biggest increase in political involvement compared to 2018, according to AAPI Data. South Asians -- mostly descended from India and Pakistan -- make up and 23% this year as are South Asian, compared to 14% in the 2018 midterms. These changes may be reflective of changes in the overall Asian American population, as South Asians continue to be a growing share of all Asian Americans.

At the state level are Southeast Asian -- primarily from Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Malaysia and the Philippines -- make up 22% of this year's state-level candidates.

Diving down deeper, AAPI Data finds that about 60% of the 158 Asian American state legislature candidates are running for re-election. In addition, about 60% of the candidates are men and 40% are women. Out of the 95 incumbents, 63 are men and 32 are women, while 33 of those who are either challengers or pursuing open seats are men and 30 are women. 

Most are from Hawaii and California where the largest AAPI populations live. About 66% of Hawaii's voters are AAPI while they make up about 16% of Caliofrnia's total electorate.

What AAPI Data's analysis finds is that many are also running for state legislatures in all the regions of the United States, including the South and the Midwest. According to it's analysis, there are Asian Americans running for state legislatures in 30 states.

What we also learned from AAPI Data's newest findings is that a purt of nonpoliticians are making the leap from the sidelines into the field, despite the negative image emanating coming from the White House.  The candidates for state legislatures also come from diverse occupational backgrounds: teachers, small business owners, community orgnanizers to healthcare professionals. 

For example, service industry worker Francesca Hong is running for the Wisconsin State Assembly in District 76, marketing professional Emily Weber is running for Missouri House of Representatives in District 24, and anesthesiologist Michelle Au is running for Georgia State Senate in District 48. 

Perhaps more than any other ethnic group, Asians and Asian Americans are perceived as perpetual foreigners by mainstream culture. One way of ridding ourselves of that harmful image is to make ourselves more visible through the soft power of the movies, TV and other entertainment venues and extend our presence as well in the corporate board rooms, classrooms, courtrooms and lawmaking chambers. As AAPI candidates run for office, from water district boards, city council and county boards, they are interweaving their unique experiences and cultures into the fabric of America.

EDITOR'S NOTE: A word of caution, this is news sprinkled with opinion. Readers are encouraged to seek multiple news sources to formulate their own positions.