Recently, I had an opportunity to attend a meet-and-greet for 39-year-old Massachusetts State Representative Tram Nguyen, who is running for Massachusetts’ 6th Congressional District. Having been born-and-raised in Western Massachusetts (where there were very few Asians in the 70s and 80s), I was excited to learn that if Tram Nguyen wins her Congressional race, she would make history as the first Massachusetts Asian American Representative.
Nguyen is the daughter of a Vietnamese political refugee. Her father had spent something like eight years in prison having worked for the United States during the Vietnam War. She came over to the U.S. when she was 5 years old. Nguyen is the first in her family to attend college (Tufts University (BA), Northeastern University (JD), and Harvard University (MPA)). She worked as a staff attorney for legal aide non-profits before deciding to run for public office.
Nguyen impressed me when I learned that in her first run for Massachusetts Representative back in 2018, she beat a MAGA Republican 8 year incumbent – by 10 points! Nguyen is the first Vietnamese American woman to be elected to office in Massachusetts.
The Massachusetts primary is in September, and she’s running against a few self-funded candidates. Nguyen is the only candidate currently holding public office. According to the Cook Partisan Voter Index, the 6th Congressional District of Massachusetts is currently D+11, so as a Democrat. If Nguyen makes it through the primary, she’s likely to be elected into office in November.
If you want to learn more about Tram Nguyen and/or donate, you can check out her official website at https://www.tramforcongress.com/
