Record six lawmakers of Chinese descent to join US Congress

After Democrat Richard Pan won the election in California’s 6th district, a record six lawmakers of Chinese descent will join the new US Congress. As South China Morning Post reports, according to the latest results released on Wednesday morning, Pan was leading incumbent Congressman Kevin Kiley by 15 percentage points.

Pan, 61, is a physician and the son of Taiwanese immigrants. He served in California’s legislature from 2010 to 2022, first in the State Assembly and later in the State Senate. There, he focused on public health issues and chaired the California Asian and Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus.

Six lawmakers of Chinese descent

In addition to Pan, the group includes members of the House of Representatives: Republican Vince Fong, Democrats Judy Chu and Ted Lieu of California, as well as Democrat Grace Meng of New York. The sixth is Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, who is of Thai and Chinese descent.

Judy Chu, elected to Congress in 2009, said that representation gives Asian Americans a sense of belonging in government and helps ensure their experiences are taken into account in policymaking. Grace Meng called Pan’s victory a historic milestone for Chinese American representation in Congress.

More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.

Other races in California

Another candidate of Chinese descent, San Francisco Board of Supervisors member Connie Chan, was trailing state Senator Scott Wiener in the latest results in California’s 11th district. They were competing for the seat previously represented by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Chan, who has roots in Hong Kong and Taiwan, campaigned among Chinese-speaking communities in San Francisco, including in Chinatown and the western part of the city. During debates, she spoke Chinese, used Chinese-language campaign advertisements, and visited a Chinese temple in the final days of the campaign.

According to a list cited by the publication, the current Congress, which has 535 voting members, includes 22 lawmakers of Asian descent. The first member of Congress of Chinese descent was Hawaii Republican Hiram Fong, who became a senator in 1959.

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