There are growing number of minority and urban Republican candidates who are

There are growing number of minority and urban Republican candidates who are seeking to make their mark in the upcoming election cycle.

While their numbers are small in comparison to the Democrats, their willingness to pursue public service is a testament to each individual. Here are a few:

Sasha Gong (pictured above): An Asian-American Republican who is seeking a seat in the 46th District of the Virginia House of Delegates. Sasha Gong was born in China. At age nine, her family was forced from their home in the city by the communists and sent to a small village. It affected her early education because from age nine she was forced to work on a farm and later in a factory.

Quang X. Pham: A Vietnamese Republican, is running in California’s 47th Congressional District.

Van Tran: A Vietnamese Republican, he is running in California’s 47th Congressional District. Van Tran is currently serving as a Republican member of the California State Assembly representing portions of Orange County.

Charles Djou: A Republican from the State of Hawaii. He is currently serving his second term on the Honolulu City Council where he represents District 4. He is seeking a seat in Hawaii’s 1st Congressional District. The seat is currently held by Neil Abercrombie who has since announced that he would run for Governor of Hawaii.

Duke Aiona: The current Lt. Governor of Hawaii. He is seeking to become that state’s governor.

Ashok Chandra: A rising star in the New York City Republican community. Chandra is running for city council in New York City.

Nikki Haley: The first Indian-American Republican state legislator in the U.S., Haley is currently running for the Republican nomination for Governor of South Carolina.

Irene Kim Asbury: This Korean-American Republican is running for New Jersey’s 31st District, which includes Jersey City and Bayonne. Her opponent, a Democrat, is under investigation and was asked to resign by Gov. Jon Corzine.

And Asian-American lawyer Steve Kim plans to run for Illinois Attorney General and the chance to face incumbent Lisa Madigan — a race declared “virtually unwinnable” by one top Republican. “What I’m trying to do is open up the world of Republican issues to a community that may not have really looked,” said Kim, 39. He says the party’s low-tax, pro-business attitude should appeal to the many Asian-Americans who run small businesses and hope to grow.

Sources www.newmajority.com and www.chicagotribune.com