New York City is seeing a rise in Asian American Republican candidates for the 2024 elections, especially in Queens, Brooklyn, and Manhattan.
Key points:
- There are 10 candidates of East Asian descent running in New York City, as per the New York Post.
- The Asian American community, disenchanted by Democratic policies, is turning more towards the Republican Party, especially in matters like public safety and education.
The details:
- Concerns about increasing crime rates, handling of the migrant crisis, and decline of merit-based education have motivated Asian American candidates to run for office.
- Candidates like Yiatin Chu, 56, and Steven Chan, 57, stress the importance of addressing these concerns, supporting stricter immigration policies, reforming bail laws, and endorsing merit-based education programs.
- “The Asian community is realizing that there’s another party that is more in line with our conservative values on public safety and education,” Chu, a candidate for Senate in northeast Queens, told the Post.
- “We’re trying to protect our community,” said Chan, who is running in Brooklyn’s 17th Senate district. “I’m an immigrant but I oppose an open border policy. We need to close the borders. We’re a sovereign nation.”
Other GOP candidates:
- Several GOP candidates are challenging prominent Democratic incumbents, indicating a potentially competitive electoral landscape in the upcoming elections.
- Other GOP candidates include Joseph Chou (challenging Queens Rep. Grace Meng), Daniel Mais (challenging Queens Senator Joe Addabbo), Helen Qiu (challenging Assemblyperson Grace Lee in downtown Manhattan) and GOP Assemblyperson Lester Chang, who is seeking re-election in a rematch against former Assemblyman Peter Abbate.
- Three candidates, including Kenneth Paek, Kenneth Chiu and Steven Wang, are also vying to challenge Assemblyperson Nily Rozic.
