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Rep. Ro Khanna headlines AAPI Leadership Summit
The congressman from California urged Asian Americans to run for elected office.
Reps. Ro Khanna (left) and Ted Lieu, Democrats from California, kicked off the first AAPI Leadership Summit Sept. 8 in Sacramento, California. / Images-Sunita Sohrabji
Reps. Ro Khanna and Ted Lieu, both Democrats from California, kicked of the AAPI Leadership Summit here Sept. 8 morning, exhorting more Asian Americans to run for elected office and to seek appointments at all levels of government.
The Asian American Pacific Islander community is one of the fastest-growing populations in the US, with more than 24 million residents according to 2020 US Census Data. More than 4.9 million Indian Americans reside in the country.
AAPIs were the margin of victory during the 2022 mid-term elections in several key battleground states, including Nevada and Georgia. Yet, they currently represent only one percent of elected politicians. Several Indian Americans — including a number of electeds, as well as those seeking office — were sprinkled among the crowd at the day-long event, the largest-ever gathering in California of AAPI leadership. The event was organized by the California Asian & Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus.
Lieu is the highest-ranking Asian in the House of Representatives, currently serving as the vice chair of the Democratic Caucus. “Ted Lieu is our best opportunity to get the first AAPI Speaker of the House,” said Khanna, garnering loud applause from the sold-out auditorium. “He has been a strong voice for our community, and will be a really good contender for the seat over the next 10 years.”
California Asian & Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus Chair Assemblyman Evan Low, with Assemblywoman Dr. Jasmeet Bains, the first Indian American woman in the California state Legislature.
That same day, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced her re-election bid, but said she would not seek a leadership role if Democrats take back the House. Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-California, currently serves as House speaker, after a contentious battle within the Republican party last year.
Lieu in turn praised Khanna, saying he could become chair of the House Oversight Committee, currently chaired by Rep. James Comer, R-Kentucky. “He is able to get Republican support, which is not easy to do in these times,” said Lieu, noting Khanna’s multi-year effort on both sides of the aisle to stop US support for Saudi Arabia in its war on Yemen.
“We need the committee to engage on real issues,” said Lieu, garnering a laugh as he obliquely referred to the Oversight Committee’s exhaustive investigation of Hunter Biden.
“AAPIs are increasingly becoming the margin of victory in battleground states,” said Khanna, who defeated fellow Asian American Democrat Mike Honda in 2016 to obtain a seat in the House. Earlier this year, Khanna floated the idea of running for Sen. Diane Feinstein’s seat, which will be vacant in 2025 as the Democratic senator ends her long tenure. In an interview with New India Abroad in February, Khanna said he would determine whether Rep. Barbara Lee — one of the most progressive members of the House — would be successful in her bid for the seat. As of press time Sept. 9, Khanna had not thrown his hat into the crowded ring, but has until Dec. 8 to announce his possible bid.
California Asian & Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus Chair Assemblyman Evan Low, (left) with Reps. Ro Khanna and Ted Lieu, D-California, and California state Senator David Min.
“The reality is, if you have a different name, a different skin color, it may take more than one run for people to understand your story,” said the congressman. Khanna himself lost to Honda in 2014, in his first run for the seat, but won by an overwhelming margin two years later.
“You have to feel like you belong, tune out the skepticism, and surround yourself with people who encourage you. It’s not the presentation, it’s your comfort level,” he said.
Both politicians discussed the spike in hate crimes against the AAPI community. More than 11,500 hate incidents reported to the Stop AAPI Hate web portal since March of 2020. The portal was co-founded by Indian American community activist Manjusha Kulkarni.
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