8 Asians

Although I bumped into Otto Lee, former Mayor and city council member of Sunnyvale, California, at the Democratic National Convention,I never did get a chance to interview him like I did with Jay Chen. Lee is running for Congress, for the 22nd Congressional District in California. Due to re-districting, incumbents this year have a greater challenge since for many of them, a good portion of their district is new to voters. Lee’s opponent is Republican Congressman Devin Nunes, who was first elected into office in 2003. I saw down with Lee for a few minutes after last week’s Silicon Valley Asian Pacific American Democratic Club annual dinner, where Lee briefly discussed his race. The district leans Republican, but with Lee campaigning hard, he’s within striking distance of winning.

Although I don’t live in Sunnyvale, I have been a supporter of Lee’s ever since his days of becoming mayor. I admire his ability to juggle his family and work life, while serving in public office. Also, I’ve been amazed at his record of service and the sacrifice he has made as he spent over a year in Iraq as part of his duty in being in the navy reserves. I was more than happy to financially support his run for Congress. I’m also glad to see that Lee has had enough support and has been able to raise enough money to start television advertising. One of Lee’s commercials is after the break.