The Asian community is playing an increasingly large role in shaping the politics of Northern Virginia.

There’s no place in Northern Virginia where the influence of the Asian community is reflected more than state Senate District 32. That’s the seat in Loudoun County that will soon be vacated by Congressman-elect Suhas Subramanyam. The district has a population that is more than 30% Asian. Here’s chairwoman of Democratic Asian Americans for Virginia, Shyamali Hauth.

“It is exciting to see so many candidates running for office, so many young folks becoming involved in campaigns,” Hauth says. “This is how we make our voice heard, and it is a very exciting time to be an Asian American in Virginia.”

Former Republican Delegate David Ramadan represented Loudoun when he was in the General Assembly. He’s now at George Mason University’s Schar School, and he says he expects the governor to campaign for Republicans in the special election for state Senate District 32.

“He invested heavily in Loudoun County recently and knowing very well that Loudoun was not going to vote for a Republican congressman,” Ramadan says. “He spent time there promoting Hung Cao, who was the Republican Senate candidate, who is from Loudoun running for the U.S. Senate.”
 
Hung Cao’s parents fled Vietnam in the 1970s, and the Vietnamese community in Northern Virginia has a long history of supporting Republican candidates for office.

This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.