With nearly two years to go until the 2024 presidential election, state and national Asian American and Pacific Islander groups are eyeing California’s 47th Congressional District, where they say conditions are ripe for an Asian American candidate to claim the seat.
Assemblyman Evan Low, D-Silicon Valley, who chairs the California Asian American & Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus, said a candidate not having to face an incumbent – Rep. Katie Porter recently announced her campaign for U.S. Senate – is itself an opportunity, while the large AAPI population living in the district strengthens the pathway for a candidate from that community to get elected.
“It’s rare when congressional seats become open because members of Congress serve for long periods of time. So when there’s an open congressional seat, that is historic in its nature,” he said. “And especially when you’re looking at the demographics of this congressional seat in the 47th, there is a significant AAPI population, and therefore it’s that much more important for us to seize this opportunity.”
The new 47th district being vacated by Porter runs along the coast, spanning Huntington Beach, Laguna Beach and Newport Beach. Inland, it covers Costa Mesa and Irvine, where more than four out of 10 residents are Asian. The Asian American voting-age population in the district is nearly 20%, which places it among the top 10 congressional districts in the country with a large Asian American population, Nic Jordan, executive director of the ASPIRE PAC, said.
“It’s so important for our community to have representation, to have leaders that come from our community, that understand the issues that we face and can actually have a seat at the table and be part of the decision-making process,” Jordan said. “So we really see the 47th district as an excellent opportunity to elect an AAPI leader.”
Recently, the ASPIRE PAC, the political arm for AAPI Democrats in Congress, endorsed state…
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