Democrat Ami Bera is running a strong campaign against incumbent GOP Congressman Dan Lungren of California’s 3rd Congressional District, which includes most of Sacramento County, all of Alpine, Amador and Calaveras counties, and part of Solano County.

Elk Grove, Calif.-resident “Bera has been an Associate Dean for Admissions at the UC Davis School of Medicine and was the former Chief Medical Officer for the County of Sacramento,” wrote India Journal in an article last Friday, which included a Q&A with Dr. Bera.

More than having a strong chance at unseating an incumbent Republican Congressman, Dr. Bera is running against an elected official with a shameful track record of opposition to civil rights and issues important to people of color.

Almost 25 years ago, a coalition of Asian American individuals and organizations formed to oppose Lungren’s appointment as Calif. state Treasurer, citing his voting record as “anti-minority, anti-civil rights, anti-women, anti-poor and anti-elderly,” the Los Angeles Times quoted Donald K. Tamaki, a San Francisco attorney and spokesman for coalition. “He is a radical, an extremist on many positions.” (See the full article pasted below.)

A quarter-century later, Lungren’s been taking pay raises, double dipping into tax funds and plagued by ethics issues.

Visit Dr. Bera’s website and find out how you can be a part of firing Dan Lungren from Congress.
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By Keith Kamisugi, Curtis Chin and Mike Fong

October’s Filipino American History Month is an opportune time for other Asian American communities to evaluate our progress in supporting the efforts of Filipino Americans in achieving fair and more equal representation for their community in politics.

One glaring fact demonstrates why this issue is ripe for discussion: no Filipino American has ever been elected to the California State Assembly, a body representing a state that is home to approximately 60 percent of Americans of Filipino heritage.

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Sam Yoon, the Korean American city councilor from Boston, has announced that he will join Boston’s mayoral race for Mayor Thomas Menino’s seat in 2010.  Yoon was Boston’s first Asian American city councilor and, if elected, would be Boston’s first non-Caucasian mayor.  Coverage so far in the Boston Globe and the Boston Herald following Yoon’s announcement Monday is calling the mayoral big “historic”!

This post by Eugenia in October links to an article in Dong-An Ilbo about the role of Korean-Americans in Obama’s presidential campaign, including Yoon.

More at www.samyoon.com

This is huge news, sorry I don’t have more information.  But here is a link from the New Orleans Times-Picayune that describes the race pretty well.

I am not a Republican nor do I support their platform… but this is great news for Vietnamese-Americans and all people of API descent in this country.  Congratulations Congressman-elect Cao.

Update: To register, go to: www.apiavote.org/moving-the-dream/registration  Registration costs $60. If you are already attending the Pearl Presidential Inaugural Gala, you can attend this for free.

If you’re going to be in the DC area around the inauguration, APIAVote is hosting a briefing on the 2008 election and transition and thoughts and ideas for the AAPI policy agenda moving forward.

Save the Date!
Moving the Dream Forward: An APIAVote Briefing on the 2008 Election, Transition, & Policy

Date: Monday, January 19, 2008

Location: Mandarin Oriental Hotel
1330 Maryland Ave SW
Washington, D.C. 20024

Time: 8:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

www.apiavote.org/moving-the-dream

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As some of you may know, Transition Board member for President-Elect Barack Obama Sonal Shah has faced criticism in recent days for alleged ties to Hindu extremist political parties. Here is a statement from Shah, as sent by Obama for America National AAPI Vote Director Charmaine Manansala, that refutes these claims:

The following is a statement by Sonal Shah, Transition Board Member, for President-elect Barack Obama.

“As an Indian-American who has lived in this country since the age of four, serving on the Obama-Biden transition team is a unique privilege for me. A presidential transition is always a time of excitement and, in some cases, of rumors and unfounded gossip. I’d like to set to rest a few baseless and silly reports that have been circulating on the Internet. First, my personal politics have nothing in common with the views espoused by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), or any such organization. I’ve never been involved in Indian politics, and never intend to do so.

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The Omaha World-Herald has called the single electoral vote of Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District for Sen. Obama. Nebraska and Maine are the only two states that split their electoral votes by Congressional District, but this is the first time in history that either state has done so. Sen. Obama has made history by not only winning a split electoral vote, but also one in formerly solid red Nebraska. Obama now has 365 electoral votes to McCain’s 162.

Now, we patiently await Missouri’s final count, which may take up to two weeks. Obviously, it’s fairly meaningless at this point, other than to make Obama’s mandate even more convincing, but since I spent the last four days of the election there, it certainly has some sentimental value for me. =)

A new Columbus Dispatch poll suggests Barack Obama may be leading John McCain by as much as 36 points among Asian Americans in Ohio. Sixty-five percent of respondents in the poll’s “Asian/other” category back Obama, to just 29% for McCain. 

Obama also leads overwhelmingly among other voters of color, with a 44-point advantage among Latino voters and with 91% of the African American vote. McCain gets only a 4-point advantage among white voters. As a result, Obama holds a solid overall lead in Ohio, drawing 52% of the vote to McCain’s 46%.

More good news for Democrats: Among those who say they have already voted by absentee ballot, Obama holds an even bigger lead, 56% to to 42%. That means that those votes that are already in the bank will strongly favor Obama.

It’s been an interesting week here in Florida, I’ve been here since last Sunday canvassing away. My roommate Jennifer arrived on Tuesday night, so it’s been nice to have a team since she arrived. I’ve met some great folks here like Arvind (below), who I got to talk to at the Boca Obama HQ today, so yah, I’m not the only Asian American volunteer in these parts! Arvind lives in the Boca Raton area, and has been volunteering on and off for about a month. Arvind told me “Obama is the right person for job, has sound judgment and he will change  perceptions around the world that whatever you want to be, you can be…especially for poorest people. Plus, Obama will improve the image of the US around the world…Although with India, it won’t make much of a difference in our diplomatic relations due to the Pakistan issues, diplomacy could still improve with an Obama administration…I think Florida will go blue unless there is corruption again…” Arvind’s sentiments closely mirror what I’ve heard from a lot of folks here, of all ages, races and backgrounds….

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This is an entertaining yet informative documentary that delves into the reasons why there is a perceived lack of Asian Americans voting. With insightful commentary from Asian American stars, this documentary reinforces the importance of voting within the Asian American community. (H/T to Angry Asian Man for the post.)