Chiang starts PAC for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders
John Chiang had hoped to be California’s first Asian American governor. But after coming up short in a distant fifth-place finish in last year’s primary, the 56-yearold Democrat took some time away from politics.
Now, he says, he’s ready to help other candidates of his background win more contested seats and increase their political clout nationwide.
In an email to supporters Thursday, Chiang said he’s launching a political action committee aimed at electing Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders across the country, with a particular focus on congressional seats.
“We want to build a more inclusive America. For too long, Asian Americans have not had the political infrastructure like so many other communities to be as successful in the political arena,” Chiang said in an interview.
The PAC, ElectAAPI.org, hopes to amass a sevenfigure war chest for the 2020 cycle and plans to give directly to federal candidates running as Democrats as well as use outside spending to influence races.
The group also wants to mobilize Asian American voters, the fastest-growing racial group in the U.S. electorate.
Chiang, the son of Taiwanese immigrants, spent more than two decades in public office and won statewide races for controller and then treasurer, in part thanks to his low-key style and knack for retail politicking.
He hopes his new group can help sustain the momentum Asian Americans showed in the midterms.
According to election eve polling from Asian American Decisions, Asian Americans reported high levels of engagement and broke decisively for Democratic candidates in congressional races nationwide.
“This PAC is part of a larger trend over the last decade of Asian Americans getting more organized in terms of their campaign contributions and strategically deploying them around the country to get more Asian Americans elected,” said Karthick Ramakrishnan, professor of public policy and political science at UC Riverside.
Twenty Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders serve in this Congress, a high-water mark. Eight are from California.
Chiang says he wants his organization to focus on supporting Asian American candidates in tough races and is not opposed to weighing in during primaries.
“We’re not looking to join the bandwagon,” Chiang said. “We’re trying to create a future.”