Committee of 100 Statement on the Negative Rhetoric in the Race to Represent U.S. House of Representatives California District 45
New York, NY (October 25, 2022) –Committee of 100, a non-profit leadership organization of prominent Chinese Americans, issued the following statement regarding advertisements by Congresswoman Michelle Steel that question the patriotism of her challenger Jay Chen, an American military veteran of Chinese descent and the son of immigrants from Taiwan.
Incumbent Michelle Steel and Jay Chen are currently engaged in an election campaign to select the next U.S. Representative for California’s 45th Congressional District. More than a quarter of the residents of the 45th District identify as of Asian descent, according to the 2020 U.S. Census.
“A Congressional race between two candidates of Asian descent should be an opportunity to highlight the diversity and achievement of the Asian American community. Instead, one candidate is using racist attacks and advertisements to question the patriotism and loyalty of an American military veteran,” said Zhengyu Huang, President, Committee of 100. “These racist attacks perpetuate the harmful and inaccurate stereotypes that foment the anti-Asian hate and violence plaguing our country. It is especially harmful when these unfounded attacks come from members of our own community. We will not allow this behavior to divide the Asian American community. We call on Congresswoman Steel to remove these negative ads and focus on the issues.”
