Asian-Americans make history with US mayor race victories
- Michelle Wu and Aftab Pureval are first Asian-Americans elected mayor in Boston and Cincinnati
- Victories mark milestone for Asian-Americans who make up less than 1 per cent of elected offices
Asian-Americans will serve as mayor in Boston and Cincinnati for the first time in both cities’ histories, signalling political progress for a population that has struggled for almost two years with a rise in anti-Asian hate.
Boston voters tapped City Councillor Michelle Wu, 36, on Tuesday to serve in the city’s top political office. In Cincinnati, Aftab Pureval, 39, easily defeated former Democratic Congressman David Mann.
“Tonight, we made history in Cincinnati,” Pureval told a large gathering of supporters. “Cincinnati is a place where no matter what you look like, where you’re from, or how much money you have, if you come here and work hard you can achieve your dreams.”
When Pureval decided to leave his lawyer job in 2015 to run for county clerk, it was some fellow Democrats who warned him against the idea. They felt he didn’t have a “good ballot name” that would appeal to the predominantly white votership in Hamilton County, Ohio.
“When you see A-f-t-a-b on a yard sign, it doesn’t occur to people that’s a candidate not an insurance company,” Pureval said. “When you’re Asian, when you have an ethnic name, it’s just harder. You’ve got to be creative, you’ve got to work harder, you’ve got to knock on more doors.”
