Republican Dinner Recognizes Asian Americans

By Barry Wong
　　(Scottsdale/Phoenix) Asian Americans are making inroads in American politics. The Arizona Republican Party hosted a dinner event featuring Utah Senator Mike Lee at the Scottsdale Plaza Resort on September 12, 2014.

　　The Asian American Coalition of the Arizona Republican Party was well represented at the event. GOP Chairman Robert Graham publicly acknowledged the large contingent of Coalition members and their guests attending. He said, ”the Arizona Republican Party has been working hard to include Arizonans from all backgrounds including the Asian American communities and they have welcomed me and the Party to their many community gatherings.”

　　Coalition Chairman Barry Wong has been working closely with leaders of many Asian communities emphasizing the importance of political engagement and voting in Arizona and America. ”Leaders in Arizona’s various Asian communities understand the importance of participating in the American system of politics and the power of voting,” said Wong. ”Attending Party events and meeting Party leaders and members is part of engagement.”

　　Coalition members attending and their guests included: from the Vietnamese Community – Kevin Dang, Mai Le, Dr. Sang Nguyen and Eileen Nguyen; Indian Community – Venkat Kommineni and Jegadesan Krishnamurthy; Korean Community – Whansik Choi, Kunsang Choi and Kaye Won; Chinese Community – Bernard Wu and Barry Wong; Taiwanese Community – Sam Huang; Asian Community – Astria Wong and Albert Lin.

　　Senator Lee, an Arizona native until his father moved the family to Utah, was elected to represent Utah four years ago to become one of the youngest senators to serve in the United States Senate. Because of his youthful looks, he said Senate security personnel initially blocked him from accessing the Senate Floor and Dining Room mistaking him for a staff person or intern.

　　An aside, his father, Rex Lee, organized and became the first dean of the law school at Brigham Young University, and later became the U.S. Solicitor General under President Ronald Reagan.

　　Senator Lee was a practicing lawyer focusing on court case appeals including to the U.S. Supreme Court; he is an expert on U.S. Constitutional law. As a Senator he focuses on maintaining and restricting federal policies to the confines of the Constitution.

Ariz. Republican Party Dinner with Utah Senator Mike Lee and GOP Asian American Coalition. (l-r) Charles Jones, former Ariz. Supreme Court Chief Justice, Barry Wong, Whansik Choi, Senator Mike Lee, Venkat Kommineni, Kunsang Choi, Bernard Wu and Sam Huang (photo courtesy of Barry Wong)