Voters are poised to send a record number of Asian American and Pacific Islander Democrats to Congress, with four new AAPI candidates elected to the House amid a wave of Democratic victories in Tuesday’s high-stakes midterm elections.
Pia Dandiya flipped a closely watched seat in Florida, while redistricting helped Richard Pan edge out his Republican-turned-independent rival in California. Dan Koh cruised to victory in the only open seat of the cycle in the Massachusetts congressional delegation. And over in Guam, Alicia Garrido Limtiaco beat out the GOP incumbent to secure the island’s non-voting House delegate—an early signal of the blue wave to come.
With those wins, the AAPI membership of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus is set to hit a historic high of at least 22. That number could still grow in the days and weeks to come with several uncalled races in Arizona and California.
“Last night’s election was a resounding repudiation of President Trump and his failed policies that put the safety, security, and civil rights of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders at risk,” CAPAC Chair Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY) said in a statement to The Yappie. “I look forward to working with my colleagues to address the pressing needs of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander community and ensure their voices are heard in the halls of power.”
About The Yappie: The Yappie is an independent, nonprofit newsroom dedicated to tracking Asian American and Pacific Islander power, politics, and influence. Learn more at theyappie.com/about.
