Asian-Americans in Arizona have traditionally kept a low profile in public service.

September 29, 2025 admin 0 Comments

But this year, at least four Asian-American candidates ran in the primaries, and three are moving on to the general election. The four candidates said this small number is notable because it indicates growing interest in political involvement among Arizona’s Asian-Americans.

They have been involved in Arizona politics in “spurts and stops,” said Barry Wong, who ran but lost in the primary for Corporation Commission. Wong, who served in the Legislature in the 1990s, said four Asian-American candidates running on both local and state levels was the most he has seen participate in an election.

Asian-Americans comprise only 2.6 percent of Arizona’s population, according to 2009 figures from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Fifty years passed between Wong and the first Asian-American state legislator, Wing F. Ong. Wong said it was too big of a gap.

With Rep. Kimberly Yee running her first election campaign this year, Wong said he hopes to see the gaps decrease in the future. Yee, a Republican, was appointed earlier this year after Rep. Doug Quelland vacated his seat. She became the first Asian-American woman to serve in the Legislature.

Ong served two terms in the Arizona House of Representatives in the late 1940s, and one term in the state Senate in the 1960s. He also was the first Chinese-American state legislator in the country, according to the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies, a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit that promotes Asian-American and Pacific Islander participation in politics.

Ong emigrated from China at 14 years old. He ran a grocery store and a restaurant, but he eventually earned at law degree from the University of Arizona at 36 and became an immigration attorney. He was inspired by the difficulties and discrimination he faced during his own immigration process at California’s Angel Island, also known as “Ellis Island of the West,” said Madeline Ong-Sakata, Ong’s daughter.

At the time, Asian-Americans “never thought about being into politics,” said Richard Nagasawa, retired Arizona State University sociology professor and author of Ong’s 1986 biography. Most Chinese immigrants ran grocery stores, and they tended to care about political tensions within the Chinese-American community.

“It took a lot of intestinal fortitude to (run for office),” Nagasawa said. “By that, I mean, it took a lot of guts.”

Asian-American involvement in public service remains largely behind the scenes, said Michael Chan, who is running for justice of the peace in the San Marcos Justice Precinct.

For example, Asian-American organizations such as the Arizona Asian American Association lobby and endorse candidates, he said. Both Chan and Arif Kazmi, who is running for the Central Arizona Water Conservation District, have been active within their communities for years and are now running for public office for the first time.

When Ong was elected, he showed Asian-Americans can be policy makers, Nagasawa said.

Now, more than 60 years later, Wong said he hopes this year’s Asian-American candidates send a similar message: Asian-Americans can and want to make decisions for all of Arizona, not just their own respective communities.

“Over the years, as an Asian-American runs for office, it really raises the visibility, not only to the broader community but also to Asian-Americans to say that it’s doable. You can run,” Wong said.

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/2010/09/19/20100919asian-americans-arizona-politics.html#ixzz10IFJUfUm