A congressional race in Orange County has become one of the most closely watched contests this election cycle — and will likely trigger a rethink for politicos on how Asian Americans vote.
From left: Democrat Jay Chen and Republican Rep. Michelle Steel are battling for California's 45th Congressional District, home to the largest Vietnamese community in the nation.hide captionJay Chen's campaign; Paul Bersebach/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register/Getty Images
From left: Democrat Jay Chen and Republican Rep. Michelle Steel are battling for California's 45th Congressional District, home to the largest Vietnamese community in the nation.Little Saigon in Orange County, Calif., boasts the largest concentration of Vietnamese people outside Vietnam. Democrat and congressional hopeful Jay Chen showed up one day in September, dressed in his uniform from the U.S. Navy Reserves.
Quân Nguyễn, one of the founders of the museum, showed Chen around. A local reporter for a Vietnamese-language paper tagged along."When politicians come by, they always bring their own newspaper people," Nguyễn said. Candidates come to such local highlights — and make a point of commemorating their visits in the press — because Vietnamese Americans make up the largest Asian American voting bloc in the area, a constituency that can swing an election. In the newly drawn congressional district of CA-45 that Chen is running in, they comprise 16% of all voters. Other key AAPI groups in the area include people of Korean, Chinese and Indian descent — together accounting for a third of all registered voters.
"We're at a point now in our community where we can elevate two Asian Americans from both parties," Chen said."But I think we also have to look beyond that and recognize that it's the issues that matter, and hopefully Asian Americans are at a point where we don't vote just on a party or on an ethnicity, but we're voting based on what these individuals would do for the community.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Orange County bus strike on temporary pause so voters can get to pollsA strike by Orange County bus workers is expected to take a temporary pause this week to ensure voters can get to the polls.
Read more »
Race for Congressional District 47 in Orange County heats upWhile District 47 is equally split between Republicans and Democrats, incumbent Katie Porter and business owner Scott Baugh each believe they have momentum on their side heading into Election Day.
Read more »
Puppy rescued after getting head stuck in gate in Orange CountyToby the three-month-old puppy was uninjured after he got his head stuck in his home's gate.
Read more »
Affirmative Action and the Supreme Court’s Troubled Treatment of Asian AmericansOn Monday, JeannieSGersen went to the Supreme Court to listen to the oral arguments on affirmative action. She observed a striking contrast between the overrepresentation of Asians at selective universities and the paucity of Asians in attendance.
Read more »
OCTA buses to resume service on Monday through Tuesday even without a contractDue to the upcoming election, the buses in Orange County will be in service again.
Read more »