Election Day in the United States saw Asian Americans run in federal,

Election Day in the United States saw Asian Americans run in federal, state and local races, from Congress to city council seats.

Among the Chinese Americans running were Republican Allan Fung, who sought to be Rhode Island’s first Asian-American governor yesterday. Republican Phil Gim ran for New York’s State Assembly in the new 40th district; and California State Senator Ted Lieu, a Democrat, sought a seat in the US House of Representatives.

Fung fell short in his bid to Democrat Gina Raimondo, who became the first female governor of Rhode Island. He conceded shortly before 10 p.m. ET.

According to the 2010 US Census, there are more than 4 million Chinese Americans, a 40 percent increase from 2.9 million in 2000. In San Francisco, Chinese Americans are more than 20 percent of the population.

California representative Judy Chu, who is Chinese American, said that in challenging races Asian Americans can represent a “margin of victory”.

However, Liu said things are changing because political awareness among Chinese Americans is growing, especially with the generation that has been educated in the US.

Margaret Fung, executive director of Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, said the number of Chinese Americans seeking election across the US could be regarded as a rise of political status for Chinese communities.

The New York-based fund has been working with Asian American communities, including Chinese Americans, across the US to promote civil rights and to register and vote. She said that she expects more Chinese Americans to be active in politics.