ASIAN AMERICAN ACTION FUND

For immediate release

November 17, 2009

Contact: Jenny Jiang (m. 617.519.7351 or jenny.jiang AT gmail.com)

Ted Lieu Wins Attorney General Straw Poll

LOS ANGELES – California Assemblymember Ted Lieu scored a decisive straw-poll victory at AAA-Fund’s California Attorney General Candidate Town Hall, which was held last night at the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce.  Click here to watch last night’s Town Hall.

Over 100 leaders packed a crowded hall to hear the candidates for one of California’s most powerful positions.  AAA-Fund’s Town Hall partners included Laborers International Union of North America (LiUNA Local 777), Korean American Democratic Committee (KADC), Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (AFL-CIO), and the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce.

Every Democratic Attorney General candidate had been invited to attend six weeks before the Town Hall; three candidates had confirmed their participation.  However, only one candidate actually attended the Town Hall:  Assemblymember Ted Lieu.  Unexpectedly, Pedro Nava and Alberto Torrico withdrew at last minute.

AAA-Fund has played a key role role in electing leaders in California and throughout the nation.  Last year, AAA-Fund endorsed 38 state and federal candidates, and over two-thirds of them (including Sen. Al Franken) won.  In California, AAA-Fund has catapulted a number of leaders to victory, including: Controller John Chiang, Congressmember Judy Chu, and Los Angeles City Attorney Carmen Trutanich.  In 2008, the AAA-Fund Blog (aaa-fund.com) was honored by the Library of Congress as an outstanding source of political information.

“We congratulate Assemblymember Lieu for winning our 2009 Straw Poll,” said AAA-Fund Executive Director Gautam Dutta.  “However, we were deeply disappointed that five Attorney General candidates chose not to hear from some of California’s most prominent leaders,” he added.

One out of every seven Californians is Asian American, including three Attorney General candidates:  Kamala Harris, Ted Lieu, and Alberto Torrico.  Distinguished guests at the Town Hall included Assemblymember Warren Furutani, Redondo Beach Mayor Mike Gin, former State Bar President Holly Fujie, Hacienda-La Puente school leader Jay Chen, 53rd Assembly District candidate Kate Anderson, Hermosa Beach school leader Ray Waters, and CAUSE Founder Charlie Woo. A full list of Town Hall partners may be found here.

“As the LA Times recently noted, the diverse Asian American community represents one of the state’s fastest growing voting blocs,” said AAA-Fund Southern California Chair Marybelle C. Ang.  “Whoever makes it a priority to hear and respond to their concerns will gain an advantage in this razor-tight race,” she noted.

During the Town Hall, Assemblymember Lieu answered questions covering a wide range of topics:  the foreclosure crisis, protecting the environment, Instant Runoff Voting, the need for banking reform, and the importance of diversity in the judiciary.

Immediately afterward, AAA-Fund conducted a straw poll in the Attorney General’s race.  Coming into the Town Hall, 90 percent (46 of 51 voters) chose Ted Lieu as their first choice.  After hearing the Town Hall discussion, 95 percent (54 of 57 voters) chose Ted Lieu as their first choice.

Equally important, the number of people expressing a second or third choice dropped significantly during the Town Hall.  Before the Town Hall, 49 percent (25 of 51 voters) had a second choice for Attorney General.  After the Town Hall, barely 19 percent (11 of 57 voters) did.

The primary election for California Attorney general will be held June 8, 2010.  AAA-Fund will announce its endorsement in this important race in December.

Videos of last night’s event are posted here.

About the Asian American Action Fund

AAA-Fund, a Democratic political action committee, aims to increase the voice of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) on every level of local, state and federal government in America. To achieve this goal, we address the chronic under-representation of AAPIs as campaign volunteers, campaign contributors, and candidates for political office.  AAA-Fund has endorsed candidates across the country. Visit aaa-fund.org (homepage) and aaa-fund.com (Blog) to learn more.

###

Posted by gautam on Wednesday, November 18th, 2009 at 12:59 am.