It wasn't until 1960 that Americans were willing to vote a Catholic into the White House. Republican opponents of John F. Kennedy warned that the 43-year-old would listen to the pope rather than his own cabinet.
Forty years later, Senator Joe Lieberman became the first Jewish-American to run as a vice-presidential candidate, backing Al Gore.
Many Americans believe Secretary of State Colin Powell could be the first African-American president if he sought the White House, but his wife has asked him not to run. It is widely believed that Senator Hillary Clinton will run for president in 2012, if not in 2008.
Chinese-Americans have done increasingly well in state and local politics, with the state of Washington electing Gary Locke, the son of Hong Kong immigrants, as governor in 1996, and
re-electing him for a second term.
And Lee Lai-sin, president of the Hong Kong Business Association of Hawaii, notes that in 1964, Hawaii senator Hiram Fong 'became the first Chinese-American to try to run for president'. However, he could not get the Republican Party's nomination. 'It is hard to predict when an Asian-American might be on the ballot for president or vice-president, because it will take a tremendous effort to get to that point,' the business leader says.
