Source: Politics<\/p>\n
NEW YORK \u2014 Where Democratic lawmakers saw chaos and shrinking opportunities in New York State’s new congressional maps, Yuh-Line Niou saw an open door.<\/p>\n
When the new 10th Congressional District united Chinatowns in Manhattan and Brooklyn’s Sunset Park, it created an electorate with more than 20 percent Asian American voters. The Taiwanese American Niou quickly pivoted from running for the state Senate to the new U.S. House seat. So quickly, in fact, her staff had crossed out \u201cState Senate\u201d on its campaign literature and written \u201cCongress NY-10!\u201d in marker.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like it would have almost been like a disservice not to run, in some ways,\u201d Niou, a 38-year-old assemblymember, said on the sidelines of a community festival in the Alphabet City neighborhood of Manhattan. \u201cWe really need to make sure that we have representation, because when we do have that representation, it changes a lot of the perspective and the lenses that we legislate in.\u201d<\/p>\n
Niou knows she faces potentially better-funded and higher-profile candidates in the district\u2019s pileup of a Democratic primary. But if she can prevail, she’d have a demonstrable impact on diversity in Congress: Only 17 Asian American lawmakers currently serve there, a number that grew in the 2020 election even as the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus took on a higher-profile role, shepherding through legislation addressing a surge in hate crimes during the pandemic.<\/p>\n
And notably, the race has no clear frontrunner to represent one of the most progressive districts in the country. A smattering of voters interviewed couldn’t say who they’d vote for \u2014 if they even knew who was running (several did know about former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s bid, but said they didn’t want him in office again). It\u2019s there that Niou sees her chance.<\/p>\n
\u201cI see myself as the underdog, but I also see myself winning,\u201d she said. \u201cThere’s a lot of erasure, especially when women and women of color run. There’s a lot of focus on when big names are running \u2014 or like when, you know, it’s men.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition to de Blasio, Niou faces Rep. Mondaire Jones<\/a> (D-N.Y.), who currently lives in and represents a district more than 30 miles north of the 10th but declared last month he would run there. Former Rep. Liz Holtzman (D-N.Y.), who last served in the House more than 40 years ago, also filed to run<\/a> Tuesday, among others who are reportedly weighing bids.<\/p>\n The energetic, earnest assemblymember doesn\u2019t have a traditional approach to retail politics. As she walked through the festival with a \u201cLower Beast Side\u201d sticker stuck to her coral flare joggers, with a pit stop for an empanadilla, she said she just wanted to talk to some familiar faces after the annual event’s two-year Covid hiatus: \u201cMy crew is doing some petitioning, but I\u2019m just here to see my people.\u201d<\/p>\n Niou is staking out a position as a housing advocate with a granular knowledge of her constituents\u2019 needs, a particularly salient issue given New York\u2019s skyrocketing real estate and rent costs. It’s resonated in the district, as her mix of progressive policy positions and frequent engagement with supporters has garnered her a large social media following. <\/p>\n But the Aug. 23 primary will be the real test \u2014 her first race at the federal level.<\/p>\n It’s a huge and abrupt shift in focus. Only a few weeks ago, Niou was waging a primary challenge against an incumbent state senator, Brian Kavanaugh. In addition to the freshly crossed-out campaign fliers, her campaign\u2019s listing on the street festival directory still said, \u201cYuh-Line Nou [sic] for Senate.\u201d<\/p>\n Niou and the gaggle of other congressional candidates have just under three months to sell themselves to voters and raise enough funds to effectively compete in one of the most expensive media markets in the country. Jones has the early lead in fundraising, with nearly $3 million dollars in the bank at the end of March, according to public filings<\/a>. He\u2019s also picked up endorsements from national Democratic groups like the Progressive Caucus\u2019 PAC and the Equality Caucus\u2019 PAC.<\/p>\n \u201cYuh-Line is a fierce campaigner. It\u2019s not impossible … but she\u2019s going to have to do this in a smart way,\u201d said George Arzt, a Democratic political consultant not working with any of the candidates.<\/p>\n