Asian Americans represent a growing share of the national population and of the electorate.[1] The lower political participation of Asian Americans has been raised as a concern, especially as it relates to their influence onpolitics in the United States.[2][3] Asian Americans were once a strong constituency forRepublicans. In1992,George H.W. Bush won 55% of Asian voters.[4] In the 21st century, Asian Americans have become a keyDemocratic Party constituency.[5][6] As of 2023, 62% of Asian American registered voters identify with or lean towards the Democratic Party, in contrast to 34% who identify with or lean towards the Republicans.[7]
| Name | Image | Term | Ethnicity | State | Party | Offices held |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kamala Harris (1964–) |  | 2021–2025 | Indian American | California | Democratic | Harris, who is halfIndian American,[8] became the US' first female vice president, the highest-ranking female elected official in U.S. history, and the first African-American and firstAsian American vice president.[9][10] |
(Note: Senators are organized first in chronological order according to their first term in office, then second in alphabetical order according to their surname.)
| Senator | Asian and/or Pacific Islander ethnicity | Party | State | Tenure | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Term start | Term end | Length of service | ||||||
 | Hiram Fong (1906–2004) | Chinese[S 1] | Republican | Hawaii | August 21, 1959 | January 3, 1977 | 17 years, 135 days | Retired |
 | Daniel Inouye (1924–2012) | Japanese[S 2] | Democratic | Hawaii | January 3, 1963 | December 17, 2012 | 49 years, 349 days | Died in office |
.jpg) | S. I. Hayakawa (1906–1992) | Japanese | Republican | California | January 2, 1977 | January 3, 1983 | 6 years, 1 day | Retired |
 | Spark Matsunaga (1916–1990) | Japanese | Democratic | Hawaii | January 3, 1977 | April 15, 1990 | 13 years, 102 days | Died in office |
 | Daniel Akaka (1924–2018) | Hawaiian, Chinese[S 3] | Democratic | Hawaii | May 16, 1990 | January 3, 2013 | 22 years, 232 days | Initially appointed; later re-elected Retired |
.jpg) | John Ensign (born 1958) | Filipino[S 4] | Republican | Nevada | January 3, 2001 | May 3, 2011 | 10 years, 120 days | Resigned |
 | Mazie Hirono (born 1947) | Japanese[S 5] | Democratic | Hawaii | January 3, 2013 | Incumbent | 12 years, 320 days | |
.jpg) | Tammy Duckworth (born 1968) | Thai, Chinese[S 6] | Democratic | Illinois | January 3, 2017 | Incumbent | 8 years, 320 days | |
.jpg) | Kamala Harris (born 1964) | Indian[S 7] | Democratic | California | January 3, 2017 | January 18, 2021 | 4 years, 15 days | Resigned to becomeVice President |
 | Andy Kim (born 1982) | Korean[S 8] | Democratic | New Jersey | December 8, 2024 | Incumbent | 346 days | |
(Note: Representatives are organized first in chronological order according to their first term in office, then second in alphabetical order according to their surname.)
| Representative | Asian and/or Pacific Islander ethnicity | Party | State | Tenure | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Term start | Term end | Length of service | ||||||
 | Dalip Singh Saund (1899–1973) | Indian[H 1] | Democratic | California | January 3, 1957 | January 3, 1963 | 6 years, 0 days | Lost reelection |
 | Daniel Inouye (1924–2012) | Japanese[H 2] | Democratic | Hawaii | August 21, 1959 | January 3, 1963 | 3 years, 135 days | Retired to run successfully forU.S. Senate |
.png) | Spark Matsunaga (1916–1990) | Japanese | Democratic | Hawaii | January 3, 1963 | January 3, 1977 | 14 years, 0 days | Retired to run successfully forU.S. Senate |
 | Patsy Mink (1927–2002) | Japanese[H 3] | Democratic | Hawaii | January 3, 1965 | January 3, 1977 | 12 years, 0 days | Retired to run unsuccessfully forU.S. Senate |
| September 22, 1990 | September 28, 2002 | 12 years, 6 days | Died in office | |||||
 | Norman Mineta (1931–2022) | Japanese | Democratic | California | January 3, 1975 | October 10, 1995 | 20 years, 280 days | Resigned Later served asSecretary of Commerce andSecretary of Transportation |
 | Daniel Akaka (1924–2018) | Chinese | Democratic | Hawaii | January 3, 1977 | May 16, 1990 | 13 years, 133 days | Resigned after beingappointed to theU.S. Senate |
 | Bob Matsui (1941–2005) | Japanese | Democratic | California | January 3, 1979 | January 1, 2005 | 25 years, 364 days | Died in office |
 | Mervyn Dymally (1926–2012) | Indian[H 4] | Democratic | California | January 3, 1981 | January 3, 1993 | 12 years, 0 days | Retired |
 | Pat Saiki (born 1930) | Japanese | Republican | Hawaii | January 3, 1987 | January 3, 1991 | 4 years, 0 days | Retired torun unsuccessfully forU.S. Senate |
 | Jay Kim (born 1939) | Korean[H 5] | Republican | California | January 3, 1993 | January 3, 1999 | 6 years, 0 days | Lost renomination |
 | Bobby Scott (born 1947) | Filipino[H 6] | Democratic | Virginia | January 3, 1993 | Incumbent | 32 years, 320 days | |
 | John Ensign (born 1958) | Filipino | Republican | Nevada | January 3, 1995 | January 3, 1999 | 4 years, 0 days | Retired torun unsuccessfully forU.S. Senate Laterelected to the U.S. Senate from Nevada |
 | David Wu (born 1955) | Taiwanese[H 7] | Democratic | Oregon | January 3, 1999 | August 3, 2011 | 12 years, 212 days | Resigned |
 | Mike Honda (born 1941) | Japanese | Democratic | California | January 3, 2001 | January 3, 2017 | 16 years, 0 days | Lost reelection |
 | Bobby Jindal (born 1971) | Indian | Republican | Louisiana | January 3, 2005 | January 14, 2008 | 3 years, 11 days | Resigned torun successfully forGovernor |
 | Doris Matsui (born 1944) | Japanese | Democratic | California | March 8, 2005 | Incumbent | 20 years, 256 days | Elected to succeed late husband |
 | Mazie Hirono (born 1947) | Japanese | Democratic | Hawaii | January 3, 2007 | January 3, 2013 | 6 years, 0 days | Retired torun successfully forU.S. Senate |
 | Steve Austria (born 1958) | Filipino | Republican | Ohio | January 3, 2009 | January 3, 2013 | 4 years, 0 days | Retired following decennial redistricting |
 | Joseph Cao (born 1967) | Vietnamese[H 8] | Republican | Louisiana | January 3, 2009 | January 3, 2011 | 2 years, 0 days | Lost reelection |
 | Judy Chu (born 1953) | Chinese[H 9] | Democratic | California | July 14, 2009 | Incumbent | 16 years, 128 days | |
 | Charles Djou (born 1970) | Thai, Chinese[H 10] | Republican | Hawaii | May 22, 2010 | January 3, 2011 | 226 days | Lost reelection |
 | Hansen Clarke (born 1957) | Bangladeshi[H 11] | Democratic | Michigan | January 3, 2011 | January 3, 2013 | 2 years, 0 days | Lost renomination following decennial redistricting |
 | Colleen Hanabusa (born 1951) | Japanese | Democratic | Hawaii | January 3, 2011 | January 3, 2015 | 4 years, 0 days | Retired torun unsuccessfully forU.S. Senate |
| November 14, 2016 | January 3, 2019 | 2 years, 50 days | Retired torun unsuccessfully forGovernor | |||||
.jpg) | Ami Bera (born 1965) | Indian | Democratic | California | January 3, 2013 | Incumbent | 12 years, 320 days | |
 | Tammy Duckworth (born 1968) | Thai, Chinese[H 12] | Democratic | Illinois | January 3, 2013 | January 3, 2017 | 4 years, 0 days | Retired torun successfully forU.S. Senate |
 | Grace Meng (born 1975) | Taiwanese[H 13] | Democratic | New York | January 3, 2013 | Incumbent | 12 years, 320 days | |
 | Mark Takano (born 1960) | Japanese[H 14] | Democratic | California | January 3, 2013 | Incumbent | 12 years, 320 days | |
 | Ted Lieu (born 1969) | Taiwanese | Democratic | California | January 3, 2015 | Incumbent | 10 years, 320 days | |
 | Mark Takai (1967–2016) | Japanese | Democratic | Hawaii | January 3, 2015 | July 20, 2016 | 1 year, 199 days | Died in office |
 | Pramila Jayapal (born 1965) | Indian[H 15] | Democratic | Washington | January 3, 2017 | Incumbent | 8 years, 320 days | |
 | Ro Khanna (born 1976) | Indian | Democratic | California | January 3, 2017 | Incumbent | 8 years, 320 days | |
 | Raja Krishnamoorthi (born 1973) | Indian | Democratic | Illinois | January 3, 2017 | Incumbent | 8 years, 320 days | |
 | Stephanie Murphy (born 1978) | Vietnamese[H 16] | Democratic | Florida | January 3, 2017 | January 3, 2023 | 6 years, 0 days | Retired |
 | TJ Cox (born 1963) | Filipino, Chinese | Democratic | California | January 3, 2019 | January 3, 2021 | 2 years, 0 days | Lost reelection |
| Andy Kim (born 1982) | Korean | Democratic | New Jersey | January 3, 2019 | December 8, 2024 | 5 years, 340 days | Retired torun successfully forU.S. Senate |
 | Young Kim (born 1962) | Korean[H 17] | Republican | California | January 3, 2021 | Incumbent | 4 years, 320 days | |
 | Michelle Steel (born 1955) | Korean[H 17] | Republican | California | January 3, 2021 | January 3, 2025 | 4 years, 320 days | Lost reelection |
 | Marilyn Strickland (born 1962) | Korean[H 17] | Democratic | Washington | January 3, 2021 | Incumbent | 4 years, 320 days | |
 | Shri Thanedar (born 1955) | Indian | Democratic | Michigan | January 3, 2023 | Incumbent | 2 years, 320 days | |
 | Jill Tokuda (born 1976) | Japanese | Democratic | Hawaii | January 3, 2023 | Incumbent | 2 years, 320 days | |
 | Vince Fong (born 1979) | Chinese | Republican | California | June 3, 2024 | Incumbent | 1 year, 169 days | |
 | Dave Min (born 1976) | Korean | Democratic | California | January 3, 2025 | Incumbent | 320 days | |
 | Suhas Subramanyam (born 1986) | Indian | Democratic | Virginia | January 3, 2025 | Incumbent | 320 days | |
 | Derek Tran (born 1980) | Vietnamese | Democratic | California | January 3, 2025 | Incumbent | 320 days | |
| Name | Image | Term | Ethnicity | State | Party | Offices held |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| George Ariyoshi (1926–) | .jpg) | 1974–1986 | Japanese American | Hawaii | Democratic | First American of Asian descent to be elected governor of a state of the United States.[11] He continues to hold the record as the longest-serving state governor in Hawaii. |
| Ben Cayetano (1939–) |  | 1994–2002 | Filipino American | Hawaii | Democratic | FirstFilipino American to serve as a state governor in the United States.[12] |
| Gary Locke (1950–) |  | 1997–2005 | Chinese American | Washington | Democratic | FirstChinese American to be elected governor in United States history and the firstAsian American governor in thecontinental United States.[13] |
| Bobby Jindal (1971–) |  | 2008–2016 | Indian American | Louisiana | Republican | Served in various executive positions inLouisiana and theU.S. Department of Health and Human Services before being elected to Congress in 2004, and finally winning the Louisiana gubernatorial elections in 2007 (thereby becoming the first non-white governor of Louisiana sinceReconstruction), the first electedIndian American governor in U.S. history,[14] as well as the secondAsian American governor to serve in thecontinental United States. |
| Nikki Haley (1972–) |  | 2011–2017 | Indian American | South Carolina | Republican | Served as the116thGovernor of South Carolina from 2011 to 2017. Haley previously representedLexington County in theSouth Carolina House of Representatives from 2005 to 2010.[15] She is the firstSikh American governor in the United States,[16] first female governor of South Carolina,[16] second electedIndian American governor in U.S. history,[17] as well as the thirdAsian American governor to serve in the continental United States. Nikki Haley's election was not the only first for Asian Americans to occur during the 2010 election cycle. |
| David Ige (1957–) |  | 2014–2022 | Japanese American | Hawaii | Democratic | Served as the 8th governor of Hawaii from 2014 to 2022. First person ofOkinawan descent to hold office in the U.S.[18] |
 |
| Name | Image | Term | Ethnicity | State | Party | Offices held |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kazuhisa Abe (1914–1996) | 1959–1966 | Japanese American | Hawaii | Democratic | Served in theHawaii State Senate, including as Senate President in 1965–1966 (afterNelson Doi). | |
| Noboru Miyake (1896–1988) | 1959–1966 | Japanese American | Hawaii | Republican | Served in theHawaii State Senate. | |
| Steere Noda (1892–1986) | 1959–1962 | Japanese American | Hawaii | Democratic | Served in theHawaii State Senate. | |
| Sakae Takahashi (1919–2001) | 1959–1974 | Japanese American | Hawaii | Democratic | Served in theHawaii State Senate. | |
| John T. Ushijima (1924–2006) | 1959–1982 | Japanese American | Hawaii | Democratic | Served in theHawaii State Senate. | |
| Nadao Yoshinaga (1919–2009) | 1959–1974 | Japanese American | Hawaii | Democratic | Served in theHawaii State Senate. | |
| Tadao Beppu (1919–1993) | 1959–1976 | Japanese American | Hawaii | Democratic | Served in theHawaii House of Representatives, including as Speaker of the House from 1968 to 1974. Also served as secretary of the Hawaii Constitutional Convention of 1968. | |
| James H. Wakatsuki (1929–1992) | 1959–1980 | Japanese American | Hawaii | Democratic | Served in theHawaii House of Representatives, including as Speaker of the House from 1975 to 1980. Later served as aHawaii Supreme Court justice. | |
| Yoshito Takamine (1924–2015) | 1959–1984 | Japanese American | Hawaii | Democratic | Served in theHawaii House of Representatives. | |
| Robert Fukuda (1922–2013) | 1959–1962 | Japanese American | Hawaii | Republican | Served in theHawaii House of Representatives. Later served as U.S. Attorney in Hawaii from 1969 to 1973. | |
| Alfred H. Song (1919–2004) |  | 1963–1978 | Korean American | California | Democratic | Served in theCalifornia State Assembly andCalifornia State Senate. |
| Edmond Gong (1930–2015) |  | 1966–1972 | Chinese American | Florida | Democratic | Served in theFlorida House of Representatives. First Asian American legislator in Florida. |
| March Fong Eu (1922–2017) |  | 1967–1974 | Chinese American | California | Democratic | Served in theCalifornia State Assembly. |
| Tom Hom (1927–) |  | 1968–1970 | Chinese American | California | Republican | Served in theCalifornia State Assembly. |
| Paul Bannai (1920–2019) |  | 1973–1980 | Japanese American | California | Republican | Served in theCalifornia State Assembly. |
| John Eng (1942–) |  | 1973–1983 | Hong Kong American | Washington | Democratic | First Asian American legislator in Washington state. |
| Thelma Buchholdt (1934–2007) |  | 1975–1983 | Filipino American | Alaska | Democratic | Served in theAlaska House of Representatives. FirstFilipino American woman legislator in the United States. |
| S. Floyd Mori (1939–) | 1975–1980 | Japanese American | California | Democratic | Served in theCalifornia State Assembly. | |
| Jerry Chang | 1988–2012 | Chinese American | Hawaii | Democratic | Served in theHawaii House of Representatives. | |
| Nao Takasugi (1922–2009) | 1992–1998 | Japanese American | California | Republican | Served in theCalifornia State Assembly. | |
| David Valderrama (1933–) | 1991–2003 | Filipino American | Maryland | Democratic | Served in theMaryland House of Delegates from 1991 to 2003. First Filipino American elected to a state legislature in thecontiguous United States. | |
| John Lim (1935–) |  | 1993–2001, 2005-2009 | Korean American | Oregon | Republican | Served in theOregon State Senate from 1993 to 2001. Served in theOregon House of Representatives from 2005 to 2009. While in theOregon State Senate, he served as Majority Leader. |
| Nimi McConigley | 1994–1996 | Indian American | Wyoming | Republican | Served in theWyoming House of Representatives from 1994 to 1996. FirstIndian born person to be elected to any state legislature. | |
| Mike Honda (1941–) | | 1996–2000 | Japanese American | California | Democratic | Served in theCalifornia State Assembly. |
| John Pippy (1970–) |  | 1997–2003, 2003-2012 | Thai American | Pennsylvania | Republican | Served in thePennsylvania House of Representatives from 1997 to 2003 before being elected to thePennsylvania State Senate. |
| George Nakano (1935–) | 1998–2004 | Japanese American | California | Democratic | Served in theCalifornia State Assembly. | |
| Blake Oshiro (1970–) |  | 2001–2011 | Okinawan American | Hawaii | Democratic | Served in theHawaii House of Representatives from 2001 to 2011. Oshiro was majority leader during his tenure. |
| Saghir Tahir (1945–2013) | 2001–2011 | Pakistani American | New Hampshire | Republican | Served in theNew Hampshire House of Representatives from 2001 to 2011. First Pakistan native to be elected to any state legislature, and firstMuslim American elected to any political office in the United States. | |
| Corinne Ching | 2002–2012 | Chinese American | Hawaii | Republican | Served in theHawaii House of Representatives. | |
| Shirley Horton (1952–) |  | 2002–2008 | Japanese American | California | Republican | Served in theCalifornia State Assembly. |
| Nikki Haley (1972–) | | 2005–2011 | Indian American | South Carolina | Republican | Serving in theSouth Carolina House of Representatives from 2005 to 2011. FirstIndian American to be elected to the South Carolina legislature. She would later beelected governor. |
| Hubert Vo (1956–) | 2005–present | Vietnamese American | Texas | Democratic | Serving in theTexas House of Representatives since 2005. FirstVietnamese American to be elected to the Texas Legislature. | |
| Kris Valderrama (1970–) | .jpg) | 2007–present | Filipino American | Maryland | Democratic | Served in theMaryland House of Delegates |
| Saqib Ali (1971–) |  | 2007–2011 | Pakistani American Indian American | Maryland | Democratic | Served in theMaryland House of Delegates |
| Tony Fulton (1972–) |  | 2007–2013 | Filipino American | Nebraska | Republican | Served in theNebraska Legislature from 2007 to 2013. Currently thetax commissioner of Nebraska. |
| Sharon Har | _(cropped).jpg) | 2007–2022 | Korean American | Hawaii | Democratic | Served in theHawaii House of Representatives. |
| Scott Kawasaki (1975–) | .jpg) | 2007–2019, 2019–present | Japanese American | Alaska | Democratic | Served in theAlaska House of Representatives from 2007 to 2019 before being elected to theAlaska State Senate in 2019. |
| Angie Chen Button (1954–) |  | 2009–present | Chinese American | Texas | Republican | Serving in the Texas House of Representatives since 2009. |
| Tony Hwang (1964–) |  | 2009–2015, 2015–present | Taiwanese American | Connecticut | Republican | Served in theConnecticut House of Representatives from 2009 to 2015 before being elected to theConnecticut State Senate where he currently serves. |
| Mark Keam (1966–) | _(cropped).png) | 2010–2022 | Korean American | Virginia | Democratic | Served in theVirginia House of Delegates |
| Aruna Miller (1964–) |  | 2010–2019 | Indian American | Maryland | Democratic | Served in theMaryland House of Delegates. FirstIndian American to be elected to the Maryland General Assembly. She would later beelected lieutenant governor. |
| B. J. Pak (1980–) |  | 2011–2017 | Korean American | Georgia | Republican | Served in theGeorgia House of Representatives from 2011 to 2017. In 2017 he was nominated and confirmed asUnited States Attorney for theNorthern District of Georgia |
| Phil Ting (1969–) | 2012-present | Chinese American | California | Democratic | Serving in the California State Assembly since 2012. | |
| Ron Kim (1979–) |  | 2013–present | Korean American | New York | Democratic | Serving in theNew York State Assembly |
| Brian Shiozawa |  | 2013–2017 | Japanese American | Utah | Republican | Served in theUtah State Senate |
| Gene Wu (1978–) |  | 2013–present | Chinese American | Texas | Democratic | Serving in theTexas House of Representatives since 2013. |
| Ling Ling Chang (1976–) |  | 2014–2016, 2018-2020 | Taiwanese American | California | Republican | From 2014 to 2016 Chang served in theCalifornia State Assembly. In 2016 she ran for a seat in theCalifornia State Senate and lost, but the incumbent was recalled, and she won the special election for the remainder of his term. |
| Janet Nguyen (1976–) |  | 2014–2018, 2020–2022, 2022–present | Vietnamese American | California | Republican | From 2014 to 2018 Nguyen served in theCalifornia State Senate making her the first Vietnamese American to serve in any state senate. After narrowly losing reelection, she ran for and won a seat in theCalifornia State Assembly in 2020. In 2022 Nguyen ran again for the California State Senate and won. |
| Ervin Yen |  | 2014–2018 | Taiwanese American | Oklahoma | Republican | Served in theOklahoma Senate from 2014 to 2018. |
| Roxanne Persaud |  | 2015-2015, 2015–present | Indian American | New York | Democratic | Served in theNew York State Assembly from January 2015-November 2015. Serving in theNew York Senate since 2015. |
| Mark S. Chang (1978–) |  | 2015–present | Korean American | Maryland | Democratic | Serving in theMaryland House of Delegates since 2015. |
| Jay Jalisi (1965–) |  | 2015–2023 | Pakistani American | Maryland | Democratic | Served in theMaryland House of Delegates from 2015 to 2023. |
| Clarence Lam (1980–) |  | 2015–2019, 2019–present | Chinese American | Maryland | Democratic | Served in theMaryland House of Delegates from 2015 to 2019 before being elected to theMaryland Senate in 2019, where he is currently. |
| David Moon (1979–) | .jpg) | 2015–present | Korean American | Maryland | Democratic | Serving in theMaryland House of Delegates since 2015, and as Majority Leader since 2023. |
| Phillip Chen (1978–) |  | 2016–present | Chinese American | California | Republican | Serving in the California State Assembly since 2016. |
| Steven Choi (1944–) |  | 2016–2022 | Korean American | California | Republican | Member of theCalifornia State Assembly |
| Vince Fong (1979–) |  | 2016–2024 | Chinese American | California | Republican | Served in theCalifornia State Assembly from 2016 until 2024. |
| Todd Gloria (1978–) |  | 2016–2020 | Filipino American | California | Democratic | House Majority Whip and member of theCalifornia State Assembly |
| Manka Dhingra (1973 or 1974–) |  | 2017–present | Indian American | Washington | Democratic | Serving in theWashington State Senate since 2017. |
| Bee Nguyen (1978–) | .jpg) | 2017–present | Vietnamese American | Georgia | Democratic | Serving in theGeorgia House of Representatives since 2017. First Vietnamese American in the Georgia House of Representatives. |
| Vandana Slatter (1981–) |  | 2017–present | Indian American | Washington | Democratic | Serving in theWashington State House since 2017. |
| Lei Learmont | 2017–2018 | Japanese American | Hawaii | Democratic | Serving in theHawaii House of Representatives from 2017 to 2018. | |
| Dean Tran (1978–) |  | 2017–2021 | Vietnamese American | Massachusetts | Republican | Served in theMassachusetts Senate, first Vietnamese American to hold elected office in Massachusetts. |
| Tyler Diep |  | 2018–2020 | Vietnamese American | California | Republican | Served in theCalifornia State Assembly. |
| Val Okimoto | 2018–2022 | Japanese AmericanFilipino American | Hawaii | Republican | Served in theHawaii House of Representatives. Minority leader from 2021-2022. | |
| Daniel Pae (1995–) |  | 2018–present | Korean American | Oklahoma | Republican | Serving in theOklahoma House of Representatives. |
| Jonathan Patterson (unknown) | 2019–present | Korean American | Missouri | Republican | Serving as theSpeaker of the Missouri House of Representatives. | |
| Saud Anwar (1962–) |  | 2019–present | Pakistani American | Connecticut | Democratic | Serving in theConnecticut State Senate. |
| Harry Bhandari (1977–) |  | 2019–present | Nepalese American | Maryland | Democratic | Serving in theMaryland House of Delegates. |
| Lily Qi (1963–) |  | 2019–present | Chinese American | Maryland | Democratic | Serving in the Maryland House of Delegates |
| Kaohly Her (1978–) | .jpg) | 2019–present | Hmong American | Minnesota | Democratic | Serving in theMinnesota House of Representatives. |
| Tina Maharath (1978–) | 2019–present | Laotian American | Ohio | Democratic | Serving in theOhio State Senate. First Laotian American elected to public office. | |
| Mike Giallombardo (1982-) |  | 2020-present | Korean American | Florida | Republican | Serving in theFlorida House of Representatives since 2020. |
| Charlice Byrd (1951-) |  | 2021-present | Chinese American | Georgia | Republican | Serving in theGeorgia house of representatives |
| Francesca Hong (1988–) | 2021–present | Korean American | Wisconsin | Democratic | Serving the 76th district of theWisconsin State Assembly since January 4, 2021. She is the first Asian American state legislator to serve in theWisconsin Legislature. | |
| Khanh Pham (1978–) | .png) | 2021–present | Vietnamese American | Oregon | Democratic | Serving the 46th district of theOregon House of Representatives since January 11, 2021. She is the first Vietnamese American to serve in theOregon Legislative Assembly. |
| Kimberly Fiorello (1975-) | 2021-2023 | Korean American | Connecticut | Republican | Serving in theConnecticut house of representatives | |
| Quang Nguyen (1962-) |  | 2021-present | Vietnamese American | Arizona | Republican | Serving in theArizona House of Representatives since 2021. |
| Shri Thanedar (1955-) | .jpg) | 2021-2023 | Indian American | Michigan | Democratic | Serving in theMichigan House of Representatives from 2021 to 2023. |
| Rose Martinez (born 1958) | 2023–present | Filipino American | Hawaii | Democratic | Serving in theHawaii House of Representatives since 2023. | |
| Tyson Miyake | 2023–present | Japanese American | Hawaii | Democratic | Serving in theHawaii House of Representatives since 2023. | |
| Trish La Chica | 2023–present | Filipino American | Hawaii | Democratic | Serving in theHawaii House of Representatives since 2023. | |
| Lester Chang (1973–) | 2023–present | Chinese American | New York | Republican | Serving in the New York State Assembly since 2023. | |
| Saira Draper | 2023–present | Pakistani American | Georgia | Democratic | Serving in theGeorgia House of Representatives since 2023. | |
| Long Tran | 2023–present | Vietnamese American | Georgia | Democratic | Serving in theGeorgia House of Representatives since 2023. | |
| Justin Jones (1995–) | 2023–present | Filipino American | Tennessee | Democratic | Served in the Tennessee House of Representatives from January 10, 2023 to April 6, 2023. | |
| Nabilah Islam (1989–) | .jpg) | 2023-present | Bangladeshi American | Georgia | Democratic | Serving in the Georgia House of Representatives since 2023. |
| Tri Ta (1973–) | 2023–present | Vietnamese American | California | Republican | Serving in the California State Assembly since 2023. | |
| Chao Wu (1976 or 1977–) |  | 2023–present | Chinese American | Maryland | Democratic | Serving in the Maryland House of Delegates since 2023. |
| May Mizuno | 2024–present | Filipino American | Hawaii | Democratic | Serving in theHawaii House of Representatives since 2024. | |
| Sanjeev Manohar | 2024–present | Indian American | New Hampshire | Democratic | Serving in theNew Hampshire House of Representatives since 2024. | |
| Hanadi Nadeem | 2024–present | Pakistani American | Nevada | Democratic | Serving in theNevada Assembly since 2024. | |
| Sujata Gadkar-Wilcox | 2025–present | Indian American | Connecticut | Democratic | Serving in theConnecticut House of Representatives since 2025. | |
| Eleanor Sato | 2025–present | Japanese American | Maine | Democratic | Serving in theMaine House of Representatives since 2025. | |
| Tara Hong | 2025–present | Cambodian American | Massachusetts | Democratic | Serving in theMassachusetts House of Representatives since 2025. |
|
Benito Legarda andPablo Ocampo, joined the House in1907 asResident Commissioners,[39] becoming the first Asian Americans to serve in the Congress, albeit as non-voting members.[40]
In 2010, Inouye was sworn in asPresident Pro Tempore making him the highest-ranking Asian American politician in American history untilKamala Harris was the firstAsian American to becomeVice President of the United States in November 2020, and assumed the role ofPresident of the U.S. Senate.
There are presently 16 Asian Americans or Pacific Islanders in the House and 2 in the Senate in the118th United States Congress.[41][42] The following marks the total number ofAsian Americans in the U.S. Congress since 1957: 39 representatives and 9 senators. Representatives include those from Japanese, Taiwanese, Filipino, Thai, Indian, and Chinese backgrounds.
Note that Strickland and Scott are all multiracial. Strickland is one-half Korean and one-half African American; Scott is one-fourth Filipino and three-fourths African American.
Norman Mineta became the first Asian AmericanCabinet member when he was appointedsecretary of commerce byPresident Bill Clinton in 2000. He then served assecretary of transportation from 2001 to 2006.[44]
In theGeorge W. Bush Administration,Elaine Chao became the first, and thus far only, Asian American woman to serve as a Cabinet secretary when she became thesecretary of labor in 2001, serving until 2009.[45] She has also served as secretary of transportation inthe administration of Donald Trump in 2017, serving until her resignation in 2021.
In 2009,President Barack Obama appointedEric Shinseki to the position ofsecretary of veterans affairs, which he held until 2014. Shinseki was the first Asian American to hold this position.Steven Chu, the first Asian American to hold the position ofsecretary of energy, served from 2009 to 2013. Additionally under Obama,Gary Locke served as secretary of commerce from 2009 to 2011.
In 2017,President Donald Trump appointedNikki Haley the first Indian American to serve in a permanent Cabinet-level position when she was confirmed to the position ofambassador to the United Nations in 2017. She held the position until 2018.
In 2021,Kamala Harris became the highest ranking Asian American to serve in a cabinet as 49thVice President of the United States. PresidentJoe Biden also appointedKatherine Tai to serve asU.S. Trade Representative, a cabinet-level position.
In 1964,Hiram Fong, a Republican, became the first Asian American candidate for president.[46][47]
In 1972,Patsy Mink became the first Asian American Democratic candidate for president, and the first Japanese American candidate for president.[48]
In 2015,Bobby Jindal, a Republican, became the first Indian American candidate for president.[49][50]
In 2017,Andrew Yang became the first Taiwanese American and the first Asian American male Democratic candidate for president.[51][52]
In 2020,Tulsi Gabbard, who is of Samoan descent[53][54] became the second woman of color and the first Asian American and Pacific-Islander (AAPI) presidential candidate to earn major party primary delegates.[55][56][57]
In 2020,Kamala Harris became the first Asian American major party candidate for vice president, and later elected the first Asian Americanvice president of the United States.[58]
| Year | Presidential candidate | Political party | % of asian vote | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | George H. W. Bush | Republican | 55% | Lost |
| 1996 | Bob Dole | Republican | 48% | Lost |
| 2000 | Al Gore | Democratic | 55% | Lost |
| 2004 | John Kerry | Democratic | 56% | Lost |
| 2008 | Barack Obama | Democratic | 62% | Won |
| 2012 | Barack Obama | Democratic | 73% | Won |
| 2016 | Hillary Clinton | Democratic | 65% | Lost |
| 2020 | Joe Biden | Democratic | 63% | Won |
| 2024 | Kamala Harris | Democratic | 54% | Lost |
From the 1940s to the 1990s most Asian Americans were anti-communist refugees who had fled mainlandChina,North Korea orVietnam, and were strongly anti-Communist. Many had ties to conservative organizations.[59][60] In recent years, more liberal Asian American groups such as newer Chinese and Indian immigrants have greatly changed the Asian American political demographics, as well as a larger proportion of younger Asian Americans, many of whom have completed college degrees.[61]
During the 1990s and 2000s, Asian American voting behavior shifted from moderate support for theRepublican Party to stronger support for theDemocratic Party.[62] In the1992 presidential election RepublicanGeorge H. W. Bush received 55% of the Asian American vote compared to 30% for DemocratBill Clinton. Asian Americans voted Republican and were the only racial group moreconservative than whites in the 1990s, according to surveys.[59] By the2004 election, DemocratJohn Kerry won 56% of the Asian American vote, with Chinese and Indian Americans tending to support Kerry, and Vietnamese and Filipino Americans tending to supportGeorge Bush.[63] Japanese Americans leaned toward Kerry, while Korean Americans leaned toward Bush.[63] DemocratBarack Obama won 62% of the Asian American vote in the2008 presidential election,[64] with the margin increasing during the2012 presidential election, where Asian Americans voted to re-elect Obama by 73%.[65] In the2014 midterm elections, based on exit polls, 50% of Asian Americans voted Republican, while 49% voted Democrat; this swing toward voting for Republicans was a shift from the strong Democratic vote in 2012, and had not reached 50% since 1996.[66] The 2016National Asian American Survey, conducted before the2016 presidential election, found that 55% of Asian American registered voters supported Democratic candidateHillary Clinton and only 14% supported Republican candidateDonald Trump.[67]
Despite their growing trend of voting for Democrats in national elections, Asian Americans have tended to identify as independents and have not developed strong ties to political parties as a group.[68] Due to the smaller size of the groups population, in comparison to the population as a whole, it has been difficult to get an adequate sampling to forecast voter outcomes for Asian Americans.[69] In 2008, polls indicated that 35% considered themselvesnon-partisan, 32% Democrats, 19%independents, and 14% Republicans.[70] The 2012National Asian American Survey found that 51% considered themselves non-partisan, 33% Democrats, 14% Republicans, and 2%Other;[71][72]Hmong, Indian, and Korean Americans strongly identified as Democrats, and Filipino and Vietnamese Americans most strongly identified as Republicans.[72] In 2013, according to theAsian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, Chinese Americans were the least likely Asian American ethnicity to have a party affiliation, with only one third belonging to a party.[73] The 2016 National Asian American Survey found that 41% of Asian Americans identified as non-partisan, 41% as Democrats (a modest increase from 2008 and 2012), and 16% as Republicans.[67]
Neither the Republican nor Democratic parties have financed significant efforts to the registration of Asian Americans, however much more attention has been focused on contributions from Asian Americans,[74] having once been referred to as potential "Republican Jews".[75] As recently as 2006, the outreach efforts of America's two major political parties have been unbalanced, with the Democratic Party devoting more resources in attracting Asian Americans.[76] In 2016, a majority of Asian Americans possessed the same political views on racial profiling, education, social security, and immigration reform as the Democratic Party; the efforts to attract Asian Americans has produced a proportionally significant growth in Democratic affiliation by Asian Americans from 2012 to 2016 by 12 percent.[77] In 2016, Vietnamese and Filipinos were the least likely Asian Americans to support the presidential campaign ofHillary Clinton, with Vietnamese the most likely to back the presidential campaign ofDonald Trump.[78] Political affiliation aside, Asian Americans have trended to become more politically active as a whole, with 2008 seeing an increase of voter participation by 4% to a 49% voting rate.[79] In 2017, it was reported byThe Washington Post that Asian Americans born outside of the United States trended to be more conservative, and more likely to identify as Republicans, while those who were born in the United States, who were generally younger, were more likely to identify being a Democrat.[80]
The pejorative termboba liberalism exists as a criticism of mainstream Asian Americanliberal politics or those perceived to be part of an Asian Americanliberal elite.[81][82][83]
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{{cite web}}:External link in|title={{cite book}}:|website= ignored (help)Chinese-Americans were the least likely to affiliate with a party. Magpantay suggested that only one third of Chinese Americans belong to a party, compared with 71 percent among all Asian Americans, because of the negative association of the word party with the Communist Party in China.
While bubble tea itself is neither inherently political nor bad, per se, some Asian Americans are critical of the dominant strain of Asian-American politics, called "boba liberalism," that the drink has come to represent in certain circles. Boba liberalism — is the "substanceless trend-chasing spectacle" that is mainstream Asian-American liberalism, derided as shallow, consumerist-capitalist, and robbed of meaning.
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