Record-Breaking AAPI Candidates Seek State and Congressional Offices in 2018
Record-Breaking AAPI Candidates Seek State and Congressional Offices in 2018
AAPI Victory Fund Showcases “Mink VI” Candidates
WASHINGTON – As progressive campaigns across the country gain steam and Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) candidates are winning their primaries, the AAPI Victory Fund has identified six AAPI candidates in critical state races and swing Congressional districts. Building on the success of the Mineta XI candidates, this second wave of candidates is known as the “Mink VI,” after Patsy T. Mink, a trailblazer who was the first woman of color and first AAPI woman elected to Congress. Congresswoman Mink is best known for her work on Title IX – renamed the Patsy Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act in 2002 – which provides equal opportunity for women in higher education. These candidates are trailblazers and reflect the values that Congresswoman Mink stood for in her career.The Mink VI CandidatesCandidates for State LeadershipJohn Chiang (California Governor)Betty Yee (California Controller)Candidates for US CongressSuneel Gupta (MI-11)Sri Preston Kulkarni (TX-22)Aftab Pureval (OH-01)Omar Siddiqui (CA-48)“Congresswoman Patsy T. Mink made history as a dedicated advocate for social welfare and pushed for reform in Congress. Her voice was respected, and she was a recognized national leader,” said Shekar Narasimhan, chair of the AAPI Victory Fund. “The Mink VI candidates are poised to follow her legacy of fighting for minorities, women and underrepresented communities. We are pleased to highlight and support their efforts.”Currently, there are at least 59 progressive AAPIs are running for Congress in the 2018 elections, with many in swing and high-priority districts gaining national attention ahead of the 2020 presidential election. Nationwide, there are over 220 progressive AAPIs running for elected office on the federal, state and local level in 32 states—including nine gubernatorial candidates.The AAPI Victory Fund's support of the Mink VI candidates will build on the success it had with its previous work to increase voter turnout. Past outreach efforts have resulted in game-changing results in Wake County, NC where AAPI voter turnout was increased by 174 percent in 2016, and its work to energize turnout in Virginia and the critical Washington State Senate race in 2017.
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Empowering the 21 million-strong Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to be the margin of victory, the AAPI Victory Fund - the first Super PAC of its kind - is focused on mobilizing AAPI eligible voters and moving them to the ballot box.