Andrew Yang graciously conceded the New York Mayoral Race a day after the election, but this was just the end of round one for AAPI candidates in New York. Even before Yang entered the mayoral race in January, The League of Asian Americans of New York counted 50 AAPI candidates running for a City Council Seat compared to no more than a dozen in 2017. AAPI interest in government was inspired by the Specialized High Schools Issue, Trump’s China-flu talk and severe under-representation in elected office. Anti-Asian Hate Crimes poured gasoline over potent issues and Yang lit a match to it. The flames will glow brightly in the elections to come as candidates take heart and hold him up as a role model.
Indeed, he showed the AAPI community a lot about running for office. He stood up to direct attacks, he showed unabashed emotion, and thoughtful articulated responses and threw a few good combinations punches himself. He showed no fear and went toe to toe with the best New York had to offer. The journey to seat more Asian Americans in New York government is just beginning and there is much more work to be done. Though we do not know how many Asian Americans will win a seat, some results are encouraging. Yang received 95,000 first choice votes not including absentee ballots, though they are not all Asian votes, it shows considerable confidence in an AAPI candidate and represents a significant voting bloc.
It’s assured that Yang and most of the 50 AAPI candidates who did not succeed will continue to seek office and be joined by others. With city council and state legislative elections occurring every 2 years now, there will be a steady stream of candidates seeking office. This is certainly not the end to the Yang Gang but perhaps the beginning of the AAPI Machine.
