Family matters: Two Asian American women are in the Virginia House of Delegates

Delegate-elect Kathy Tran and her family.

ON MONDAY, the day before election day, there were no Asian/American women in Virginia's House of Delegates. Today (Nov. 8), the day after Virginia's voters cast their ballots, there are now two Asian/American women serving in the state's legislature.

Kathy Tran of the 42nd District and Kelly Fowler of the 21st District, both running for office for the first time, broke through that glass ceiling to win their respective races.

Both of the women were inspired to run for office by the election of Donald Trump last year and the kind of future their daughters might face. "I ran because I couldn't stand on the sidelines," said Tran.

Tran, 39, gave birth to her daughter a month after the inauguration. She and her husband, Matthew Reisman, chose the name Elise, inspired by Ellis Island, through which Reisman’s family immigrated to escape anti-Semitism. The middle name, “Minh Khanh,” is Vietnamese for “bright bell,” inspired by the Liberty Bell. "I needed to stand up and fight for those values and fight for my kids' future," she said.

"I was devastated by Hillary’s loss, as I felt that hatred had won," explained Fowler. "My daughter had to process Hillary’s loss into her understanding of the world – that the bad guy sometimes wins. It was extremely difficult for her, because she took it as validation that the other side was right, being mean to people was okay, and being different was not okay. I knew I had to step up if I was going to make things right."

RELATED: Filipino American political novice wins Virginia seat

Fowler released a poweruful video during the campaign explaining her decision to enter the political fray. In the video, Fowler talks about her 8-year-old daughter being “heartbroken” after Trump’s election in November. 

"And that’s when I truly woke up. I knew I had to do something to save her powerful, generous, brilliant, caring spirit. So I took her to the Women’s March in DC and during the experience I realized that I needed that as much as she did. I accepted the call to no longer be silent. In an effort to save my daughter I found myself and was forever changed. The next month I decided to show both my girls what democracy looks like and I’m now running for office in my hometown of Virginia Beach, Virginia. I won’t lie to you: it’s really hard — every day. I ask that you support me and encourage me through this. I promise that I won’t stop because I am responsible for the world that they live in. Thank you."

With their immigrant backgrounds, it is no surprise that they advocate for inclusion and welcoming of new Americans and allowing the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program continue to allow Dreamers to remain in the U.S.

Tran and her parents fled Vietnam as boat refugees when she was just seven months old. 

Although many other countries offered them asylum, they waited 13 months for the United States to accept their application. Tran's family risked everything to come to America because this country has always represented hope, opportunity and freedom.

Tran has devoted her career to ensuring that all working families have the opportunity to achieve the American Dream. During her 12 years of service at the U.S. Department of Labor, she served in numerous leadership positions, including as the Acting Administrator for the Office of Workforce Investment and the Director of the Division of Policy, Legislation, and Regulation. 

Tran went on to work at the National Immigration Forum, one of the nation’s leading immigration advocacy organizations. There, she advocated for policies that prepare immigrants in the workforce to reach their full career potential.

Tran graduated from Duke University and earned her Master of Social Work from the University of Michigan. The president of her local PTA, she and her husband Matt live in West Springfield with their four children, Daven (8), Charlotte (6), Quinn (4), and baby Elise. They are avid Washington Nationals fans.

Delegate-elect Kelly Convirs-Fowler and her family

Fowler and her husband Dave were raised in the 21st District in military families and are now raising their two daughters here as well. She is a former Virginia Beach public school teacher who now leads a team of real estate agents who specialize in military relocation. Dave is a deputy with the Virginia Beach Sheriff's Department.

Fowler's grandfathers were from the Philippines and served in the U.S. Navy, which allowed them to become US citizens. Raymond Ramirez passed in 2011, while Francisco Sacdalan was laid to rest in Arlington in the fall of 2012. With the exception of an aunt who lives in North Carolina, the rest of Kelly's family still lives in the 21st District!

Fowler attended Tallwood High School and began working at age 15 to save money in order to realize her dream of being the first member of her family to attend college. Working her way through school, she graduated from Virginia Wesleyan College, where she majored in Psychology and Criminal Justice. She then attended Old Dominion University where she obtained her Masters in Education and went on to serve the needs of Virginia Beach families as a teacher at Lynnhaven Elementary, a Title 1 school.

While teaching, Fowler followed a dream and started a business based on her lifelong love of history. After a great deal of research and planning, she began purchasing distressed Victorian homes and lovingly restoring them so that new generations of Hampton Roads families could make their own history in them. Her successful home renovation business gave her first hand experience with the kinds of challenges small business owners face every day.

Fowler is passionate about fairness and ensuring that government works for everyone, not just the rich and well connected. She campaigned heavily for the expansion of Medicaid in the state, perhaps the most important issue facing Virginians based on election results.

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Virginia's historic night: Filipino American political novice wins her first run for office

Kelly Convirs-Fowler won her first run in politics.

WE KNEW a Filipino/American was going to win tonight for the right to represent Virginia's District 21. The question was, would it be the Democratic Filipino/American, or the Republican Filipino/American.

Democratic challenger Kelly Fowler upset 4-term Delegate Ron Villanueva, garnering 53% ov the vote to 46%.

The first-time candidate entered the race after Donald Trump's election victory in 2016. She brought her daughter with her to take part in the Women's March the day after Trump's inauguration. She saidm it was then that she realized the march was for her as much as it was for her daughter.

RELATED: Filipino American vs. Filipino American for Virginia legislature

“After last year’s election, it’s amazing to win and feel like we’re making progress,” said Fowler, who was a teacher before becoming is a real estate broker.

Fowler's positions on issues were progressive. During the campaign she took

• As a gun owner, she supports background checks and a waiting period for anyone purchasing a gun.
• She believes in climate change and wants to protect District 21's coastal communities from the rising waters of Cheasapeake Bay.
• On women's issues, she supported a woman's right to choose equal pay, non-discrimination in the workplace, and strong laws that stop violence against women.
• As a daughter of immigrants, she supports Dreamers right to stay in the U.S. 
• The expansion of Medicaid in Virginia.

Fowler's election was one of 17 that the Democrats sought to win, reducing the GOP's two-thirds majority in the House of Delegates to perhaps 50 percent as the vote tally continues into the night..

The Democratic Party's victories in Virginia, from the Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General to the House of Delegates was seen as a rejection of Donald Trump and his politics of divisiveness and hate. What happened in Virginia bodes well for the Democrats and might cause the Republicans to reconsider the Trump strategy for the midterm elections in 2018,

A year ago, Fowler was just another disappointed supporter of Hillary Clinton. Like the hundreds of volunteers who made phone calls, knocked on doors and handed out flyers, Fowler turned hopelessness into action.
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Filipino Americans challenge each other for same post in Virginia elections

Incumbent Ronald Villanueva, left, is being challenged by Kelly Convirs-Fowler in Virginia's District 21.

ASAM NEWS and Views From the Edge contributed to this report

AS ASIAN/AMERICANS rise in political prominence, we will see this situtation occurring more and more: Asian/Americans competing against Asian/Americans for political office.

Perhaps what’s surprising, it’s happening in a state where Asian/Americans make up just 6.6 percent of the population.

Kelly Convirs-Fowler, whose grandfather grew up in the Philippines and grandmother labored in the artichoke fields of California, is running against four-time incumbent and Filipino/American Ronald Villanueva for the Virginia House of Delegates seat for District 21.

Villanueva is Republican and Convirs-Fowler is a Democrat in a race that is one of the most closely watched in the state.

Virginia voters will go to the polls Tuesday, Nov. 7, to determine the outcome for District 21, as well as the hotly contested race for governor, which pits Democrat Ralph Northam over GOP incumbent Ed Gillespie. A new Washington Post-Schar School poll shows Northam leading Gillespie by 53 percent to 40 percent among likely voters, with 4 percent supporting Libertarian Cliff Hyra.

Convirs-Fowler hopes the national attention given to the governor's race will help bring out Democrats Tuesday so she could upset Villanueva. District 21 voted for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in 2016.

“My family is an important part of my life, and I hope to make them proud by living this part of the American Dream, that any kid can grow up to participate in our legislative process,” said Convirs-Fowler to Asian Fortune News.

She supports the continuation of the DACA program

“Propaganda based on hate and fear runs counter to our values as Americans. We are a country built by immigrants and we should support those who look to us as they try to fulfill their American Dream. I believe that those brought here as children should not be classified as illegal immigrants and should have a clear path to citizenship. Children born here are citizens and their parents should have a clear path to citizenship.

"State and local law enforcement should not do the job of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The harassment or bullying of anyone who came to this country, whether legally or illegally, runs counter to American values,” she said.

Villanueva describes himself on his own Facebook page as conservative.

“We will reduce regulatory burdens that strangle small business, reform welfare from fraudulent spending so that the most needy Virginians receive the care they need, combat the opioid and heroin addiction, continue to improve in education, and invest in areas that will strengthen communities. We will balance the budget without raising taxes and prioritize spending on core functions including education, public safety, health and human resources, and transportation.” he wrote on his campaign website.

Republicans control both the House and Senate in Virginia, but Democrats have targeted this race as one of 17 that are flippable.

Although the majority of the District 21's voters are white, both Villanueva and Connivers-Fowler easily defeated their opponents in the June primary, which suggests that the candidates' race has not been an issue even though racial issues have impacted the governor's race.

Filipino/Americans are far and away the largest Asian group in District 21 with over 8,000 or about 10 percent of the total population living in the district,. All together, Asian/Americans make up about 12 percent of District 21, located in the southeastern part of the state, which includes the cities of Virginia Beach and Chesapeake.

According to the Virginian-Pilot, Fowler received two endorsements this week from celebrities who were raised in Virginia Beach: The Avengers star Mark Ruffalo and Grey’s Anatomy actor Jason George.

The Virginian-Pilot also endorsed her on Oct. 25, pointing out that “she gives voters ample reason to believe she can represent their interests effectively. Despite Villanueva’s record of service, Fowler makes a compelling case for change and is the better choice this year.”
Villanueva has been highlighting his notable endorsements, too, posting photos and statements from Virginia Beach residents who support his campaign on his Facebook page. Among his endorsements: A Regent University professor, an Old Dominion University MBA candidate and City Council member Jessica Abbott.
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