# Asian Americans in politics

Asian Americans represent a growing share of the national population and of the electorate. The lower political participation of Asian Americans has been raised as a concern, especially as it relates to their influence on politics in the United States. Asian Americans were once a strong constituency for Republicans. In 1992, George H.W. Bush won 55% of Asian voters. In the 21st century, Asian Americans have become a key Democratic Party constituency. As of 2023, 62% of Asian American registered voters identify with or lean towards the Democratic Party, in contrast to 34% who identify with or lean towards the Republicans.

## Officeholders
### Elected national officials
#### Vice president

| Name | Image | Term | Ethnicity | State | Party | Offices held |
| Kamala Harris (1964–) | | 2021–2025 | Indian American | California | Democratic | Harris, who is half Indian American, became the US' first female vice president, the highest-ranking female elected official in U.S. history, and the first African-American and first Asian-American vice president. |

### Congress
#### Senate

(Note: Senators are organized first in chronological order according to their first term in office, then second in alphabetical order according to their surname.)
| Senator | Senator | Asian and/or Pacific Islander ethnicity | Party | State | Tenure | Tenure | Tenure | Notes |
| Senator | Senator | Asian and/or Pacific Islander ethnicity | Party | State | Term start | Term end | Length of service | Notes |
| | Hiram Fong (1906–2004) | Chinese | Republican | Hawaii | August 21, 1959 | January 3, 1977 | 17 years, 135 days | Retired |
| | Daniel Inouye (1924–2012) | Japanese | Democratic | Hawaii | January 3, 1963 | December 17, 2012 | 49 years, 349 days | Died in office |
| | S. I. Hayakawa (1906–1992) | Japanese | Republican | California | January 2, 1977 | January 3, 1983 | 6 years, 1 day | Retired |
| | Spark Matsunaga (1916–1990) | Japanese | Democratic | Hawaii | January 3, 1977 | April 15, 1990 | 13 years, 102 days | Died in office |
| | Daniel Akaka (1924–2018) | Hawaiian, Chinese | Democratic | Hawaii | May 16, 1990 | January 3, 2013 | 22 years, 232 days | Initially appointed; later re-elected Retired |
| | John Ensign (born 1958) | Filipino | Republican | Nevada | January 3, 2001 | May 3, 2011 | 10 years, 120 days | Resigned |
| | Mazie Hirono (born 1947) | Japanese | Democratic | Hawaii | January 3, 2013 | Incumbent | 12 years, 47 days | |
| | Tammy Duckworth (born 1968) | Thai, Chinese | Democratic | Illinois | January 3, 2017 | Incumbent | 8 years, 47 days | |
| | Kamala Harris (born 1964) | Indian | Democratic | California | January 3, 2017 | January 18, 2021 | 4 years, 15 days | Resigned to become Vice President |
| | Andy Kim (born 1982) | Korean | Democratic | New Jersey | December 8, 2024 | Incumbent | 73 days | |
* ↑ First American of Chinese ancestry elected to Congress
* ↑ First Japanese American elected to the Senate
* ↑ First Native Hawaiian to serve in the Senate
* ↑ First person of Filipino ancestry elected to the Senate
* ↑ First Asian-American woman elected to the Senate
* ↑ First Thai American elected to the Senate
* ↑ First person of South Asian ancestry elected to the Senate; together with Pramila Jayapal, first Indian-American woman elected to Congress
* ↑ First Korean American elected to the Senate

#### House of Representatives

(Note: Representatives are organized first in chronological order according to their first term in office, then second in alphabetical order according to their surname.)
| Representative | Representative | Asian and/or Pacific Islander ethnicity | Party | State | Tenure | Tenure | Tenure | Notes |
| Representative | Representative | Asian and/or Pacific Islander ethnicity | Party | State | Term start | Term end | Length of service | Notes |
| | Dalip Singh Saund (1899–1973) | Indian | Democratic | California | January 3, 1957 | January 3, 1963 | 6 years, 0 days | Lost reelection |
| | Daniel Inouye (1924–2012) | Japanese | Democratic | Hawaii | August 21, 1959 | January 3, 1963 | 3 years, 135 days | Retired to run successfully for U.S. Senate |
| | Spark Matsunaga (1916–1990) | Japanese | Democratic | Hawaii | January 3, 1963 | January 3, 1977 | 14 years, 0 days | Retired to run successfully for U.S. Senate |
| | Patsy Mink (1927–2002) | Japanese | Democratic | Hawaii | January 3, 1965 | January 3, 1977 | 12 years, 0 days | Retired to run unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate |
| | Patsy Mink (1927–2002) | Japanese | Democratic | Hawaii | September 22, 1990 | September 28, 2002 | 12 years, 6 days | Died in office |
| | Norman Mineta (1931–2022) | Japanese | Democratic | California | January 3, 1975 | October 10, 1995 | 20 years, 280 days | Resigned Later served as Secretary of Commerce and Secretary of Transportation |
| | Daniel Akaka (1924–2018) | Chinese | Democratic | Hawaii | January 3, 1977 | May 16, 1990 | 13 years, 133 days | Resigned after being appointed to the U.S. Senate |
| | Bob Matsui (1941–2005) | Japanese | Democratic | California | January 3, 1979 | January 1, 2005 | 25 years, 364 days | Died in office |
| | Mervyn Dymally (1926–2012) | Indian | Democratic | California | January 3, 1981 | January 3, 1993 | 12 years, 0 days | Retired |
| | Pat Saiki (born 1930) | Japanese | Republican | Hawaii | January 3, 1987 | January 3, 1991 | 4 years, 0 days | Retired to run unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate |
| | Jay Kim (born 1939) | Korean | Republican | California | January 3, 1993 | January 3, 1999 | 6 years, 0 days | Lost renomination |
| | Bobby Scott (born 1947) | Filipino | Democratic | Virginia | January 3, 1993 | Incumbent | 32 years, 47 days | |
| | John Ensign (born 1958) | Filipino | Republican | Nevada | January 3, 1995 | January 3, 1999 | 4 years, 0 days | Retired to run unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate Later elected to the U.S. Senate from Nevada |
| | David Wu (born 1955) | Taiwanese | Democratic | Oregon | January 3, 1999 | August 3, 2011 | 12 years, 212 days | Resigned |
| | Mike Honda (born 1941) | Japanese | Democratic | California | January 3, 2001 | January 3, 2017 | 16 years, 0 days | Lost reelection |
| | Bobby Jindal (born 1971) | Indian | Republican | Louisiana | January 3, 2005 | January 14, 2008 | 3 years, 11 days | Resigned to run successfully for Governor |
| | Doris Matsui (born 1944) | Japanese | Democratic | California | March 8, 2005 | Incumbent | 19 years, 348 days | Elected to succeed late husband |
| | Mazie Hirono (born 1947) | Japanese | Democratic | Hawaii | January 3, 2007 | January 3, 2013 | 6 years, 0 days | Retired to run successfully for U.S. Senate |
| | Steve Austria (born 1958) | Filipino | Republican | Ohio | January 3, 2009 | January 3, 2013 | 4 years, 0 days | Retired following decennial redistricting |
| | Joseph Cao (born 1967) | Vietnamese | Republican | Louisiana | January 3, 2009 | January 3, 2011 | 2 years, 0 days | Lost reelection |
| | Judy Chu (born 1953) | Chinese | Democratic | California | July 14, 2009 | Incumbent | 15 years, 220 days | |
| | Charles Djou (born 1970) | Thai, Chinese | Republican | Hawaii | May 22, 2010 | January 3, 2011 | 226 days | Lost reelection |
| | Hansen Clarke (born 1957) | Bangladeshi | Democratic | Michigan | January 3, 2011 | January 3, 2013 | 2 years, 0 days | Lost renomination following decennial redistricting |
| | Colleen Hanabusa (born 1951) | Japanese | Democratic | Hawaii | January 3, 2011 | January 3, 2015 | 4 years, 0 days | Retired to run unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate |
| | Colleen Hanabusa (born 1951) | Japanese | Democratic | Hawaii | November 14, 2016 | January 3, 2019 | 2 years, 50 days | Retired to run unsuccessfully for Governor |
| | Ami Bera (born 1965) | Indian | Democratic | California | January 3, 2013 | Incumbent | 12 years, 47 days | |
| | Tammy Duckworth (born 1968) | Thai, Chinese | Democratic | Illinois | January 3, 2013 | January 3, 2017 | 4 years, 0 days | Retired to run successfully for U.S. Senate |
| | Grace Meng (born 1975) | Taiwanese | Democratic | New York | January 3, 2013 | Incumbent | 12 years, 47 days | |
| | Mark Takano (born 1960) | Japanese | Democratic | California | January 3, 2013 | Incumbent | 12 years, 47 days | |
| | Ted Lieu (born 1969) | Taiwanese | Democratic | California | January 3, 2015 | Incumbent | 10 years, 47 days | |
| | Mark Takai (1967–2016) | Japanese | Democratic | Hawaii | January 3, 2015 | July 20, 2016 | 1 year, 199 days | Died in office |
| | Pramila Jayapal (born 1965) | Indian | Democratic | Washington | January 3, 2017 | Incumbent | 8 years, 47 days | |
| | Ro Khanna (born 1976) | Indian | Democratic | California | January 3, 2017 | Incumbent | 8 years, 47 days | |
| | Raja Krishnamoorthi (born 1973) | Indian | Democratic | Illinois | January 3, 2017 | Incumbent | 8 years, 47 days | |
| | Stephanie Murphy (born 1978) | Vietnamese | Democratic | Florida | January 3, 2017 | January 3, 2023 | 6 years, 0 days | Retired |
| | TJ Cox (born 1963) | Filipino, Chinese | Democratic | California | January 3, 2019 | January 3, 2021 | 2 years, 0 days | Lost reelection |
| | Andy Kim (born 1982) | Korean | Democratic | New Jersey | January 3, 2019 | December 8, 2024 | 5 years, 340 days | Retired to run successfully for U.S. Senate |
| | Young Kim (born 1962) | Korean | Republican | California | January 3, 2021 | Incumbent | 4 years, 47 days | |
| | Michelle Steel (born 1955) | Korean | Republican | California | January 3, 2021 | January 3, 2025 | 4 years, 47 days | Lost reelection |
| | Marilyn Strickland (born 1962) | Korean | Democratic | Washington | January 3, 2021 | Incumbent | 4 years, 47 days | |
| | Shri Thanedar (born 1955) | Indian | Democratic | Michigan | January 3, 2023 | Incumbent | 2 years, 47 days | |
| | Jill Tokuda (born 1976) | Japanese | Democratic | Hawaii | January 3, 2023 | Incumbent | 2 years, 47 days | |
| | Vince Fong (born 1979) | Chinese | Republican | California | June 3, 2024 | Incumbent | 261 days | |
| | Dave Min (born 1976) | Korean | Democratic | California | January 3, 2025 | Incumbent | 47 days | |
| | Suhas Subramanyam (born 1986) | Indian | Democratic | Virginia | January 3, 2025 | Incumbent | 47 days | |
| | Derek Tran (born 1980) | Vietnamese | Democratic | California | January 3, 2025 | Incumbent | 47 days | |
* ↑ First AAPI person elected to Congress as a non-delegate, and also first Indian American elected to Congress
* ↑ First Japanese American elected to Congress
* ↑ First Asian-American woman elected to Congress
* ↑ First (and so far only) Dougla elected to Congress
* ↑ First Korean American elected to Congress
* ↑ First American-born Filipino elected to Congress
* ↑ First Taiwanese American elected to Congress
* ↑ First Vietnamese American elected to Congress
* ↑ First Chinese-American woman elected to Congress
* ↑ First Thai American elected to Congress
* ↑ First person of Bangladeshi ancestry elected to Congress
* ↑ First Thai-American woman elected to Congress
* ↑ First Taiwanese-American woman elected to Congress
* ↑ First openly gay person of AAPI ancestry elected to Congress
* ↑ Together with Kamala Harris, first Indian-American woman elected to Congress
* ↑ First Vietnamese-American woman elected to Congress
* 1 2 3 Reps. Kim, Steel and Strickland are collectively the first Korean-American women elected to Congress

### State and local government
#### Governors

| Name | Term | Ethnicity | State | Party | Offices held |
| George Ariyoshi (1926–) | 1974–1986 | Japanese American | Hawaii | Democratic | First American of Asian descent to be elected governor of a state of the United States. He continues to hold the record as the longest-serving state governor in Hawaii. |
| Ben Cayetano (1939–) | 1994–2002 | Filipino American | Hawaii | Democratic | First Filipino American to serve as a state governor in the United States. |
| Gary Locke (1950–) | 1997–2005 | Chinese American | Washington | Democratic | First Chinese American to be elected governor in United States history and the first Asian American governor in the continental United States. |
| Bobby Jindal (1971–) | 2008–2016 | Indian American | Louisiana | Republican | Served in various executive positions in Louisiana and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services before being elected to Congress in 2004, and finally winning the Louisiana gubernatorial elections in 2007 (thereby becoming the first non-white governor of Louisiana since Reconstruction), the first elected Indian American governor in U.S. history, as well as the second Asian American governor to serve in the continental United States. |
| Nikki Haley (1972–) | 2011–2017 | Indian American | South Carolina | Republican | Served as the 116th Governor of South Carolina from 2011 to 2017. Haley previously represented Lexington County in the South Carolina House of Representatives from 2005 to 2010. She is the first Sikh American governor in the United States, first female governor of South Carolina, second elected Indian American governor in U.S. history, as well as the third Asian American governor to serve in the continental United States. Nikki Haley's election was not the only first for Asian Americans to occur during the 2010 election cycle. |
| David Ige (1957–) | 2014–2022 | Japanese American | Hawaii | Democratic | Served as the 8th governor of Hawaii from 2014 to 2022. First person of Okinawan descent to hold office in the U.S. |

#### Statewide offices

| Name | Term | Ethnicity | State | Party | Offices held |
| James Kealoha (1908–1983) | 1959–1962 | Chinese-American | Hawaii | Republican | Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii |
| Andrew T. F. Ing (1919–1999) | 1966 | Chinese-American | Hawaii | Democratic | Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii |
| March Fong Eu (1922–2017) | 1975–1994 | Chinese-American | California | Democratic | Secretary of State of California |
| Nelson Doi (1922–2015) | 1974–1978 | Japanese-American | Hawaii | Democratic | Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii |
| Jean Sadako King (1925–2013) | 1978–1982 | Japanese-American | Hawaii | Democratic | Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii |
| S. B. Woo (1937–) | 1985–1989 | Chinese-American | Delaware | Democratic | Lieutenant Governor of Delaware 1985 – 1989. |
| Cheryl Lau (1944–) | 1995–1999 | Chinese-American | Nevada | Republican | Nevada Secretary of State |
| Mazie Hirono (1947–) | 1994–2002 | Japanese American | Hawaii | Democratic | Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii |
| Matt Fong (1953–2011) | 1995–1999 | Chinese-American | California | Republican | California State Treasurer |
| Duke Aiona (1955–) | 2002–2010 | Chinese American | Hawaii | Republican | Served as Lieutenant Governor from 2002 to 2010. |
| Alex Sink (1948–) | 2007–2011 | Thai-American | Florida | Democratic | Served as Chief Financial Officer of Florida from 2007 to 2011. |
| Kamala Harris (1964–) | 2011–2017 | Indian-American | California | Democratic | Harris, who is half Indian-American, became the first female, first Jamaican American, and first Asian-American state attorney general in the United States. |
| Shan Tsutsui (1971–) | 2012–2018 | Japanese-American | Hawaii | Democratic | Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii |
| Sean Reyes (1971–) | 2013–2025 | Filipino-American Japanese American | Utah | Republican | Attorney General of Utah |
| Doug Chin (1966–) | 2015–2018 | Chinese-American | Hawaii | Democratic | Served as Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii in 2018 and as Hawaii Attorney General from 2015 – 2018. |
| John Chiang (1962–) | 2015–2019 | Taiwanese-American | California | Democratic | Served as California State Treasurer from 2015 to 2019. |
| Fiona Ma (1966–) | 2019–present | Chinese-American | California | Democratic | California State Treasurer from 2019–present. |
| Betty Yee (1957–) | 2015–present | Chinese-American | California | Democratic | Serving as California State Controller since 2015. |
| William Tong (1973–) | 2019–present | Chinese-American | Connecticut | Democratic | Serving as Connecticut Attorney General since 2019. |
| Kimberly Yee (1974–) | 2019–present | Chinese-American | Arizona | Republican | Serving as Arizona State Treasurer since 2019. |
| Rob Bonta (1972–) | 2021–present | Filipino-American | California | Democratic | Attorney General of California since 2021. |
| Steve Hobbs (1970–) | 2021–present | Japanese-American | Washington | Democratic | Secretary of State of Washington since 2021. |
| Sylvia Luke (1967–) | 2022–present | Korean-American | Hawaii | Democratic | Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii since 2022. First Korean-American politician elected to a statewide office. |
| Aruna Miller (1964–) | 2023–present | Indian American | Maryland | Democratic | Lieutenant Governor of Maryland since 2023. First South Asian lieutenant governor in the United States. |
| Susan C. Lee (1954–) | 2023–present | Chinese American | Maryland | Democratic | Secretary of State of Maryland |
| Portia Wu (1970–) | 2023–present | Taiwanese American | Maryland | | Secretary of Labor of Maryland |

#### State Legislative offices

| Name | Term | Ethnicity | State | Party | Offices held |
| Kazuhisa Abe (1914–1996) | 1959–1966 | Japanese-American | Hawaii | Democratic | Served in the Hawaii State Senate, including as Senate President in 1965–1966 (after Nelson Doi). |
| Noboru Miyake (1896–1988) | 1959–1966 | Japanese-American | Hawaii | Republican | Served in the Hawaii State Senate. |
| Steere Noda (1892–1986) | 1959–1962 | Japanese-American | Hawaii | Democratic | Served in the Hawaii State Senate. |
| Sakae Takahashi (1919–2001) | 1959–1974 | Japanese-American | Hawaii | Democratic | Served in the Hawaii State Senate. |
| John T. Ushijima (1924–2006) | 1959–1982 | Japanese-American | Hawaii | Democratic | Served in the Hawaii State Senate. |
| Nadao Yoshinaga (1919–2009) | 1959–1974 | Japanese-American | Hawaii | Democratic | Served in the Hawaii State Senate. |
| Tadao Beppu (1919–1993) | 1959–1976 | Japanese-American | Hawaii | Democratic | Served in the Hawaii House of Representatives, including as Speaker of the House from 1968 to 1974. Also served as secretary of the Hawaii Constitutional Convention of 1968. |
| James H. Wakatsuki (1929–1992) | 1959–1980 | Japanese-American | Hawaii | Democratic | Served in the Hawaii House of Representatives, including as Speaker of the House from 1975 to 1980. Later served as a Hawaii Supreme Court justice. |
| Yoshito Takamine (1924–2015) | 1959–1984 | Japanese-American | Hawaii | Democratic | Served in the Hawaii House of Representatives. |
| Robert Fukuda (1922–2013) | 1959–1962 | Japanese-American | Hawaii | Republican | Served in the Hawaii House of Representatives. Later served as U.S. Attorney in Hawaii from 1969 to 1973. |
| Alfred H. Song (1919–2004) | 1963–1978 | Korean-American | California | Democratic | Served in the California State Assembly and California State Senate. |
| Edmond Gong (1930–2015) | 1966–1972 | Chinese-American | Florida | Democratic | Served in the Florida House of Representatives. First Asian American legislator in Florida. |
| March Fong Eu (1922–2017) | 1967–1974 | Chinese-American | California | Democratic | Served in the California State Assembly. |
| Tom Hom (1927–) | 1968–1970 | Chinese-American | California | Republican | Served in the California State Assembly. |
| Paul Bannai (1920–2019) | 1973–1980 | Japanese-American | California | Republican | Served in the California State Assembly. |
| John Eng (1942–) | 1973–1983 | Hong Kong American | Washington | Democratic | First Asian American legislator in Washington state. |
| Thelma Buchholdt (1934–2007) | 1975–1983 | Filipino-American | Alaska | Democratic | Served in the Alaska House of Representatives. First Filipino American woman legislator in the United States. |
| S. Floyd Mori (1939–) | 1975–1980 | Japanese-American | California | Democratic | Served in the California State Assembly. |
| Jerry Chang | 1988–2012 | Chinese-American | Hawaii | Democratic | Served in the Hawaii House of Representatives. |
| Nao Takasugi (1922–2009) | 1992–1998 | Japanese-American | California | Republican | Served in the California State Assembly. |
| David Valderrama (1933–) | 1991–2003 | Filipino-American | Maryland | Democratic | Served in the Maryland House of Delegates from 1991 to 2003. First Filipino-American elected to a state legislature in the contiguous United States. |
| John Lim (1935–) | 1993–2001, 2005-2009 | Korean American | Oregon | Republican | Served in the Oregon State Senate from 1993 to 2001. Served in the Oregon House of Representatives from 2005 to 2009. While in the Oregon State Senate, he served as Majority Leader. |
| Nimi McConigley | 1994–1996 | Indian-American | Wyoming | Republican | Served in the Wyoming House of Representatives from 1994 to 1996. First Indian born person to be elected to any state legislature. |
| Mike Honda (1941–) | 1996–2000 | Japanese-American | California | Democratic | Served in the California State Assembly. |
| John Pippy (1970–) | 1997–2003, 2003-2012 | Thai-American | Pennsylvania | Republican | Served in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1997 to 2003 before being elected to the Pennsylvania State Senate. |
| George Nakano (1935–) | 1998–2004 | Japanese-American | California | Democratic | Served in the California State Assembly. |
| Blake Oshiro (1970–) | 2001–2011 | Okinawan American | Hawaii | Democratic | Served in the Hawaii House of Representatives from 2001 to 2011. Oshiro was majority leader during his tenure. |
| Saghir Tahir (1945–2013) | 2001–2011 | Pakistani American | New Hampshire | Republican | Served in the New Hampshire House of Representatives from 2001 to 2011. First Pakistan native to be elected to any state legislature, and first Muslim American elected to any political office in the United States. |
| Corinne Ching | 2002–2012 | Chinese-American | Hawaii | Republican | Served in the Hawaii House of Representatives. |
| Shirley Horton (1952–) | 2002–2008 | Japanese American | California | Republican | Served in the California State Assembly. |
| Nikki Haley (1972–) | 2005–2011 | Indian American | South Carolina | Republican | Serving in the South Carolina House of Representatives from 2005 to 2011. First Indian American to be elected to the South Carolina legislature. She would later be elected governor. |
| Hubert Vo (1956–) | 2005–present | Vietnamese-American | Texas | Democratic | Serving in the Texas House of Representatives since 2005. First Vietnamese American to be elected to the Texas Legislature. |
| Kris Valderrama (1970–) | 2007–present | Filipino American | Maryland | Democratic | Served in the Maryland House of Delegates |
| Saqib Ali (1971–) | 2007–2011 | Pakistani American Indian American | Maryland | Democratic | Served in the Maryland House of Delegates |
| Tony Fulton (1972–) | 2007–2013 | Filipino American | Nebraska | Republican | Served in the Nebraska Legislature from 2007 to 2013. Currently the tax commissioner of Nebraska. |
| Sharon Har | 2007–2022 | Korean American | Hawaii | Democratic | Served in the Hawaii House of Representatives. |
| Scott Kawasaki (1975–) | 2007–2019, 2019–present | Japanese American | Alaska | Democratic | Served in the Alaska House of Representatives from 2007 to 2019 before being elected to the Alaska State Senate in 2019. |
| Angie Chen Button (1954–) | 2009–present | Chinese-American | Texas | Republican | Serving in the Texas House of Representatives since 2009. |
| Tony Hwang (1964–) | 2009–2015, 2015–present | Taiwanese American | Connecticut | Republican | Served in the Connecticut House of Representatives from 2009 to 2015 before being elected to the Connecticut State Senate where he currently serves. |
| Mark Keam (1966–) | 2010–2022 | Korean American | Virginia | Democratic | Served in the Virginia House of Delegates |
| Aruna Miller (1964–) | 2010–2019 | Indian American | Maryland | Democratic | Served in the Maryland House of Delegates. First Indian American to be elected to the Maryland General Assembly. She would later be elected lieutenant governor. |
| B. J. Pak (1980–) | 2011–2017 | Korean American | Georgia | Republican | Served in the Georgia House of Representatives from 2011 to 2017. In 2017 he was nominated and confirmed as United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia |
| Phil Ting (1969–) | 2012-present | Chinese-American | California | Democratic | Serving in the California State Assembly since 2012. |
| Ron Kim (1979–) | 2013–present | Korean American | New York | Democratic | Serving in the New York State Assembly |
| Brian Shiozawa | 2013–2017 | Japanese American | Utah | Republican | Served in the Utah State Senate |
| Gene Wu (1978–) | 2013–present | Chinese-American | Texas | Democratic | Serving in the Texas House of Representatives since 2013. |
| Ling Ling Chang (1976–) | 2014–2016, 2018-2020 | Taiwanese-American | California | Republican | From 2014 to 2016 Chang served in the California State Assembly. In 2016 she ran for a seat in the California State Senate and lost, but the incumbent was recalled, and she won the special election for the remainder of his term. |
| Janet Nguyen (1976–) | 2014–2018, 2020–2022, 2022–present | Vietnamese-American | California | Republican | From 2014 to 2018 Nguyen served in the California State Senate making her the first Vietnamese American to serve in any state senate. After narrowly losing reelection, she ran for and won a seat in the California State Assembly in 2020. In 2022 Nguyen ran again for the California State Senate and won. |
| Ervin Yen | 2014–2018 | Taiwanese-American | Oklahoma | Republican | Served in the Oklahoma Senate from 2014 to 2018. |
| Roxanne Persaud | 2015-2015, 2015–present | Indian American | New York | Democratic | Served in the New York State Assembly from January 2015-November 2015. Serving in the New York Senate since 2015. |
| Mark S. Chang (1978–) | 2015–present | Korean-American | Maryland | Democratic | Serving in the Maryland House of Delegates since 2015. |
| Jay Jalisi (1965–) | 2015–2023 | Pakistani American | Maryland | Democratic | Served in the Maryland House of Delegates from 2015 to 2023. |
| Clarence Lam (1980–) | 2015–2019, 2019–present | Chinese-American | Maryland | Democratic | Served in the Maryland House of Delegates from 2015 to 2019 before being elected to the Maryland Senate in 2019, where he is currently. |
| David Moon (1979–) | 2015–present | Korean-American | Maryland | Democratic | Serving in the Maryland House of Delegates since 2015, and as Majority Leader since 2023. |
| Phillip Chen (1978–) | 2016–present | Chinese-American | California | Republican | Serving in the California State Assembly since 2016. |
| Steven Choi (1944–) | 2016–2022 | Korean American | California | Republican | Member of the California State Assembly |
| Vince Fong (1979–) | 2016–2024 | Chinese-American | California | Republican | Served in the California State Assembly from 2016 until 2024. |
| Todd Gloria (1978–) | 2016–2020 | Filipino American | California | Democratic | House Majority Whip and member of the California State Assembly |
| Manka Dhingra (1973 or 1974–) | 2017–present | Indian-American | Washington | Democratic | Serving in the Washington State Senate since 2017. |
| Bee Nguyen (1978–) | 2017–present | Vietnamese-American | Georgia | Democratic | Serving in the Georgia House of Representatives since 2017. First Vietnamese American in the Georgia House of Representatives. |
| Vandana Slatter (1981–) | 2017–present | Indian-American | Washington | Democratic | Serving in the Washington State House since 2017. |
| Lei Learmont | 2017–2018 | Japanese-American | Hawaii | Democratic | Serving in the Hawaii House of Representatives from 2017 to 2018. |
| Dean Tran (1978–) | 2017–2021 | Vietnamese-American | Massachusetts | Republican | Served in the Massachusetts Senate, first Vietnamese American to hold elected office in Massachusetts. |
| Tyler Diep | 2018–2020 | Vietnamese-American | California | Republican | Served in the California State Assembly. |
| Val Okimoto | 2018–2022 | Japanese-American Filipino American | Hawaii | Republican | Served in the Hawaii House of Representatives. Minority leader from 2021-2022. |
| Daniel Pae (1995–) | 2018–present | Korean-American | Oklahoma | Republican | Serving in the Oklahoma House of Representatives. |
| Saud Anwar (1962–) | 2019–present | Pakistani American | Connecticut | Democratic | Serving in the Connecticut State Senate. |
| Harry Bhandari (1977–) | 2019–present | Nepalese-American | Maryland | Democratic | Serving in the Maryland House of Delegates. |
| Lily Qi (1963–) | 2019–present | Chinese-American | Maryland | Democratic | Serving in the Maryland House of Delegates |
| Kaohly Her (1978–) | 2019–present | Hmong-American | Minnesota | Democratic | Serving in the Minnesota House of Representatives. |
| Tina Maharath (1978–) | 2019–present | Laotian-American | Ohio | Democratic | Serving in the Ohio State Senate. First Laotian American elected to public office. |
| Mike Giallombardo (1982-) | 2020-present | Korean-American | Florida | Republican | Serving in the Florida House of Representatives since 2020. |
| Charlice Byrd (1951-) | 2021-present | Chinese-American | Georgia | Republican | Serving in the Georgia house of representatives |
| Francesca Hong (1988–) | 2021–present | Korean-American | Wisconsin | Democratic | Serving the 76th district of the Wisconsin State Assembly since January 4, 2021. She is the first Asian-American state legislator to serve in the Wisconsin Legislature. |
| Khanh Pham (1978–) | 2021–present | Vietnamese-American | Oregon | Democratic | Serving the 46th district of the Oregon House of Representatives since January 11, 2021. She is the first Vietnamese-American to serve in the Oregon Legislative Assembly. |
| Kimberly Fiorello (1975-) | 2021-2023 | Korean-American | Connecticut | Republican | Serving in the Connecticut house of representatives |
| Quang Nguyen (1962-) | 2021-present | Vietnamese-American | Arizona | Republican | Serving in the Arizona House of Representatives since 2021. |
| Shri Thanedar (1955-) | 2021-2023 | Indian American | Michigan | Democratic | Serving in the Michigan House of Representatives from 2021 to 2023. |
| Rose Martinez (born 1958) | 2023–present | Filipino American | Hawaii | Democratic | Serving in the Hawaii House of Representatives since 2023. |
| Tyson Miyake | 2023–present | Japanese-American | Hawaii | Democratic | Serving in the Hawaii House of Representatives since 2023. |
| Trish La Chica | 2023–present | Filipino American | Hawaii | Democratic | Serving in the Hawaii House of Representatives since 2023. |
| Lester Chang (1973–) | 2023–present | Chinese-American | New York | Republican | Serving in the New York State Assembly since 2023. |
| Saira Draper | 2023–present | Pakistani American | Georgia | Democratic | Serving in the Georgia House of Representatives since 2023. |
| Long Tran | 2023–present | Vietnamese-American | Georgia | Democratic | Serving in the Georgia House of Representatives since 2023. |
| Justin Jones (1995–) | 2023–present | Filipino American | Tennessee | Democratic | Served in the Tennessee House of Representatives from January 10, 2023 to April 6, 2023. |
| Nabilah Islam (1989–) | 2023-present | Bangladeshi-American | Georgia | Democratic | Serving in the Georgia House of Representatives since 2023. |
| Tri Ta (1973–) | 2023–present | Vietnamese-American | California | Republican | Serving in the California State Assembly since 2023. |
| Chao Wu (1976 or 1977–) | 2023–present | Chinese-American | Maryland | Democratic | Serving in the Maryland House of Delegates since 2023. |
| May Mizuno | 2024–present | Filipino-American | Hawaii | Democratic | Serving in the Hawaii House of Representatives since 2024. |
| Sujata Gadkar-Wilcox | 2025–present | Indian American | Connecticut | Democratic | Serving in the Connecticut House of Representatives since 2024. |

#### Mayors

| Name | Term | Ethnicity | State | Party | Offices held |
| Kinjiro Matsudaira (1885–1963) | 1927, 1943 | Japanese American | Maryland | | Mayor of Edmonston, Maryland, elected in 1927 and 1943 |
| James Kanno (1925–2017) | 1957–1962 | Japanese American | California | | First mayor of Fountain Valley, California |
| Norman Mineta (1931–2022) | 1971–1975 | Japanese American | California | Democratic | Served as mayor of San Jose, California. |
| Sak Yamamoto (1914–1997) | 1973–1974, 1977–1979 | Japanese American | California | | Mayor of Carson, California |
| Eduardo Malapit (1933–2007) | 1974–1982 | Filipino American | Hawaii | Independent | Mayor of Kauai County, Hawaii |
| S. Floyd Mori (1939–) | 1974–1975 | Japanese American | California | Democratic | Mayor of Pleasanton, California |
| Eunice Sato (1921–2021) | 1980–1982 | Japanese American | California | Republican | Mayor of Long Beach, California |
| Nao Takasugi (1922–2009) | 1982–1992 | Japanese American | California | Republican | Mayor of Oxnard, California elected in 1982 and re-elected four times |
| Judy Chu (1953–) | 1989–1994 | Chinese American | California | Democratic | Three term mayor of Monterey Park, California starting in 1989 |
| Lorraine Inouye (1940–) | 1990–1992 | Filipino American | Hawaii | Independent | Mayor of Hawaii County, Hawaii |
| Carol Liu | 1992– 2000 | Chinese American | California | Democratic | Mayor of La Cañada Flintridge |
| Stephen K. Yamashiro (1941–2011) | 1992–2000 | Japanese American | Hawaii | Independent | Mayor of Hawaii County, Hawaii |
| Jimmie R. Yee (1934–) | 1999–2000 | Chinese American | California | Democratic | Mayor of Sacramento, California |
| Alan Nakanishi (1940–) | 2000–2001, 2012–2013, 2017–2018, 2020–2021 | Japanese American | California | Republican | Mayor of Lodi, California for four two-year terms |
| Harry Kim (1939–) | 2000–2008, 2016–2020 | Korean American | Hawaii | Independent | Mayor of Hawaii County, Hawaii |
| Alan Arakawa (1951–) | 2003–2007, 2011–2019 | Japanese American | Hawaii | Independent | Mayor of Maui County, Hawaii |
| Otto Lee | 2005–2007 | Chinese American | California | Democratic | Mayor of Sunnyvale, California |
| Ken Miyagishima (1963–) | 2007–2023 | Japanese American | New Mexico | Democratic | Four-term mayor of Las Cruces, New Mexico first elected in 2007 |
| Sukhee Kang (1952–) | 2008–2012 | Korean American | California | Democratic | Mayor of Irvine, California |
| Evan Low | 2009–2015 | Chinese American | California | Democratic | Mayor of Campbell, California |
| Marilyn Strickland | 2010–2018 | Korean American | Washington | Democratic | Mayor of Tacoma, Washington |
| Ed Lee (1952–2017) | 2011–2017 | Chinese American | California | Democratic | Served as first Asian American mayor of San Francisco until his death in 2017. |
| Jean Quan (1949–) | 2011–2015 | Chinese American | California | Democratic | Mayor of Oakland, California 2011–2015 |
| Steven Choi (1944–) | 2012–2016 | Korean American | California | Republican | Mayor of Irvine, California |
| Bao Nguyen (1980–) | 2014–2016 | Vietnamese American | California | Democratic | Mayor of Garden Grove, California |
| Karen Goh (1955–) | 2017–present | Chinese American | California | Republican | Mayor of Bakersfield, California |
| Ron Nirenberg (1977–) | 2017–present | Filipino American, Malaysian American, Indian American | California | Independent | Mayor of San Antonio, Texas |
| Ravinder Bhalla (1974–) | 2018–present | Indian American | New Jersey | Democratic | Mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey |
| Derek Kawakami (1977–) | 2018–present | Japanese American | Hawaii | Independent | Mayor of Kauai County, Hawaii |
| Harry Sidhu (1957–) | 2018–2022 | Indian American | California | Republican | Mayor of Anaheim, California |
| Sumbul Siddiqui (1988–) | 2020– | Pakistani American | Massachusetts | Democratic | Mayor of Cambridge, Massachusetts |
| Farrah Khan (1971–) | 2020– | Pakistani American | California | Democratic | Mayor of Irvine, California |
| Todd Gloria (1978–) | 2020–present | Filipino American | California | Democratic | Mayor of San Diego |
| Michelle Wu (1985–) | 2021–present | Taiwanese American | Massachusetts | Democratic | Mayor of Boston, Massachusetts |
| Bruce Harrell (1958–) | 2022–present | Japanese American | Washington | Democratic | Mayor of Seattle, Washington |
| Sokhary Chau | 2022–present | Cambodian American | Massachusetts | | Mayor of Lowell, Massachusetts |
| Aftab Pureval (1982–) | 2022–present | Indian American, Tibetan American | Ohio | Democratic | Mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio |
| Helen Tran (1981/1982–) | 2022–present | Vietnamese American | California | Democratic | Mayor of San Bernardino, California |
| Sheng Thao (1985–) | 2023–present | Hmong American | California | Democratic | Mayor of Oakland, California |
| Tyrin Truong (2000–) | 2023–present | Vietnamese American | Louisiana | Democratic | Mayor of Bogalusa, Louisiana |
| Arunan Arulampalam (1985–) | 2024–present | Sri Lankan American | Connecticut | Democratic | Mayor of Hartford, Connecticut |
| Lily Wu (1984–) | 2024–present | Chinese American | Kansas | Libertarian | Mayor of Wichita, Kansas |
| Adena Ishii | 2024–present | Japanese American | California | Democratic | Mayor of Berkeley, California |

#### Historic

Benito Legarda and Pablo Ocampo, joined the House in 1907 as Resident Commissioners, becoming the first Asian Americans to serve in the Congress, albeit as non-voting members.
In 2010, Inouye was sworn in as President Pro Tempore making him the highest-ranking Asian American politician in American history until Kamala Harris was the first Asian American to become Vice President of the United States in November 2020, and assumed the role of President of the U.S. Senate.

#### Current

There are presently 16 Asian Americans or Pacific Islanders in the House and 2 in the Senate in the 118th United States Congress. The following marks the total number of Asian Americans in the U.S. Congress since 1957: 39 representatives and 9 senators. Representatives include those from Japanese, Taiwanese, Filipino, Thai, Indian, and Chinese backgrounds.
* Representatives Doris Matsui, Mark Takano, Jill Tokuda, and Senator Mazie Hirono are Japanese American.
* Representative Judy Chu is Chinese American.
* Representatives Grace Meng and Ted Lieu are Taiwanese Americans.
* Representative Bobby Scott is Filipino American.
* Senator Tammy Duckworth is Thai American.
* Representatives Ami Bera, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Pramila Jayapal, Ro Khanna, and Shri Thanedar are Indian American.
* Representatives Andy Kim, Michelle Steel, Young Kim, and Marilyn Strickland are Korean American.
Note that Strickland and Scott are all multiracial. Strickland is one-half Korean and one-half African American; Scott is one-fourth Filipino and three-fourths African American.

### Cabinet

Norman Mineta became the first Asian American Cabinet member when he was appointed secretary of commerce by President Bill Clinton in 2000. He then served as secretary of transportation from 2001 to 2006.
In the George W. Bush Administration, Elaine Chao became the first, and thus far only, Asian American woman to serve as a Cabinet secretary when she became the secretary of labor in 2001, serving until 2009. She has also served as secretary of transportation in the administration of Donald Trump in 2017, serving until her resignation in 2021.
In 2009, President Barack Obama appointed Eric Shinseki to the position of secretary of veterans affairs, which he held until 2014. Shinseki was the first Asian American to hold this position. Steven Chu, the first Asian American to hold the position of secretary of energy, served from 2009 to 2013. Additionally under Obama, Gary Locke served as secretary of commerce from 2009 to 2011.
In 2017, President Donald Trump appointed Nikki Haley the first Indian American to serve in a permanent Cabinet-level position when she was confirmed to the position of ambassador to the United Nations in 2017. She held the position until 2018.
In 2021, Kamala Harris became the highest ranking Asian-American to serve in a cabinet as 49th Vice President of the United States. President Joe Biden also appointed Katherine Tai to serve as U.S. Trade Representative, a cabinet-level position.

## Presidential and vice-presidential candidates

In 1964, Hiram Fong, a Republican, became the first Asian-American candidate for president.
In 1972, Patsy Mink became the first Asian-American Democratic candidate for president, and the first Japanese-American candidate for president.
In 2015, Bobby Jindal, a Republican, became the first Indian-American candidate for president.
In 2017, Andrew Yang became the first Taiwanese-American and the first Asian-American male Democratic candidate for president.
In 2020, Tulsi Gabbard, who is of Samoan descent became the second woman of color and the first Asian-American and Pacific-Islander (AAPI) presidential candidate to earn major party primary delegates.
In 2020, Kamala Harris became the first Asian-American major party candidate for vice president, and later elected the first Asian-American vice president of the United States.

## Voting trends and party affiliation

| Year | Presidential candidate | Political party | % of asian vote | Result |
| 1992 | George H. W. Bush | Republican | 55% | Lost |
| 1996 | Bob Dole | Republican | 48% | Lost |
| 2000 | Al Gore | Democratic | 55% | Lost |
| 2004 | John Kerry | Democratic | 56% | Lost |
| 2008 | Barack Obama | Democratic | 62% | Won |
| 2012 | Barack Obama | Democratic | 73% | Won |
| 2016 | Hillary Clinton | Democratic | 65% | Lost |
| 2020 | Joe Biden | Democratic | 63% | Won |
| 2024 | Kamala Harris | Democratic | 54% | Lost |
From the 1940s to the 1990s most Asian Americans were anti-communist refugees who had fled mainland China, North Korea or Vietnam, and were strongly anti-Communist. Many had ties to conservative organizations. In recent years, more liberal Asian-American groups such as newer Chinese and Indian immigrants have greatly changed the Asian-American political demographics, as well as a larger proportion of younger Asian Americans, many of whom have completed college degrees.
During the 1990s and 2000s, Asian American voting behavior shifted from moderate support for the Republican Party to stronger support for the Democratic Party. In the 1992 presidential election Republican George H. W. Bush received 55% of the Asian-American vote compared to 31% for Democrat Bill Clinton. Asian Americans voted Republican and were the only racial group more conservative than whites in the 1990s, according to surveys. By the 2004 election, Democrat John Kerry won 56% of the Asian American vote, with Chinese and Indian Americans tending to support Kerry, and Vietnamese and Filipino Americans tending to support George Bush. Japanese-Americans leaned toward Kerry, while Korean-Americans leaned toward Bush. Democrat Barack Obama won 62% of the Asian American vote in the 2008 presidential election, with the margin increasing during the 2012 presidential election, where Asian Americans voted to re-elect Obama by 73%. In the 2014 midterm elections, based on exit polls, 50% of Asian Americans voted Republican, while 49% voted Democrat; this swing toward voting for Republicans was a shift from the strong Democratic vote in 2012, and had not reached 50% since 1996. The 2016 National Asian American Survey, conducted before the 2016 presidential election, found that 55% of Asian American registered voters supported Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and only 14% supported Republican candidate Donald Trump.
Despite their growing trend of voting for Democrats in national elections, Asian Americans have tended to identify as independents and have not developed strong ties to political parties as a group. Due to the smaller size of the groups population, in comparison to the population as a whole, it has been difficult to get an adequate sampling to forecast voter outcomes for Asian Americans. In 2008, polls indicated that 35% considered themselves non-partisan, 32% Democrats, 19% independents, and 14% Republicans. The 2012 National Asian American Survey found that 51% considered themselves non-partisan, 33% Democrats, 14% Republicans, and 2% Other; Hmong, Indian, and Korean Americans strongly identified as Democrats, and Filipino and Vietnamese Americans most strongly identified as Republicans. In 2013, according to the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, Chinese Americans were the least likely Asian American ethnicity to have a party affiliation, with only one third belonging to a party. The 2016 National Asian American Survey found that 41% of Asian Americans identified as non-partisan, 41% as Democrats (a modest increase from 2008 and 2012), and 16% as Republicans.
Neither the Republican nor Democratic parties have financed significant efforts to the registration of Asian Americans, however much more attention has been focused on contributions from Asian Americans, having once been referred to as potential "Republican Jews". As recently as 2006, the outreach efforts of America's two major political parties have been unbalanced, with the Democratic Party devoting more resources in attracting Asian Americans. In 2016, a majority of Asian-Americans possessed the same political views on racial profiling, education, social security, and immigration reform as the Democratic Party; the efforts to attract Asian-Americans has produced a proportionally significant growth in Democratic affiliation by Asian-Americans from 2012 to 2016 by 12 percent. In 2016, Vietnamese and Filipinos were the least likely Asian Americans to support the presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton, with Vietnamese the most likely to back the presidential campaign of Donald Trump. Political affiliation aside, Asian Americans have trended to become more politically active as a whole, with 2008 seeing an increase of voter participation by 4% to a 49% voting rate. In 2017, it was reported by The Washington Post that Asian Americans born outside of the United States trended to be more conservative, and more likely to identify as Republicans, while those who were born in the United States, who were generally younger, were more likely to identify being a Democrat.
The pejorative term boba liberalism exists as a criticism of mainstream Asian-American liberal politics or those perceived to be part of an Asian-American liberal elite.