Washington, DC — The Asian American Action Fund has endorsed Ashwin Madia for the U.S. House of Representatives, Swati Dandekar for Iowa State Senate, and Wilma Chan, Paul Fong, and Warren Furutani for the California State Legislature.

A veteran of the current war in Iraq, Madia is vying to represent the Minneapolis suburbs that make up Minnesota's Third District. AAA-Fund Honorary Board Member and Iowa House Representative Dandekar will compete for Iowa's State Senate District 18. Chan, running for California's Ninth Senate District, which includes Oakland, is seeking to become the state's first Asian American female State Senator. Fong, a longtime community activist, and Furutani, a leader in education, are both competing for seats in California's State Assembly.

"We couldn't have chosen a better opening round of endorsees for what promises to be a history-making year for Asian Americans in politics," said Gautam Dutta, Executive Director of the AAA-Fund. "Madia, Dandekar, Chan, Fong, and Furutani are all strong candidates whose positions resonate not only with Asian Americans, but with all Americans."

Madia is a youthful newcomer to politics whose service to the nation bodes well for his candidacy. A student body president in college and NYU Law School graduate, Madia served in Iraq as a Marine from September 2005 to March 2006.

Madia's platform calls for ending the Iraq war responsibly, addressing global warming, balancing the budget, and expanding access to health care. Madia's race is a key one, as the Republican-leaning district, which is about four percent Asian American, recently has shown signs of trending Democratic.

In 2002, Dandekar became the first Asian American to serve in the Iowa state legislature. Since then, she has also been active in presidential politics, serving as Iowa State Co-Chair for John Kerry in 2004 and playing a key role in Senator Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign.

Dandekar looks competitive in the open election for District 18, which includes her House district. The Republican incumbent is not running for re-election but Republicans are aggressively recruiting a challenger, reflecting the strength of Dandekar's candidacy. She is running to build on her work in the House to improve education, the economy, and the environment, and to do more for health care, government reform, and fiscal responsibility.

Chan's trailblazing career has included six years of service in the California Assembly, where she became the first Asian American and first woman to serve as majority leader from 2002 to 2004. Chan pledges to focus on education, health care, the environment, and economic opportunities for all.

The main test in the diverse and predominantly Democratic Ninth District, where Asian Americans make up about six percent, will be the Democratic primaries in June. Polls show Chan currently in the lead.

Fong, a professor and community college trustee, is running for an open seat in California's 22nd Assembly District, which includes the Silicon Valley cities of Mountain View, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Cupertino and parts of San Jose. Fong pledges to expand college opportunity, protect the environment, and build an equitable society.

Fong's community service — he helped found what is now the largest community organization serving Asian Americans in Santa Clara County — should help his candidacy in a district whose Asian American population, now at 20 percent, is growing. Here too, the June primary looms large, with polls showing Fong in the lead.

Furutani is the front-runner in the February 5 runoff election to fill the vacant seat for the 55th Assembly District, which includes the cities of Los Angeles (Wilmington, Harbor City and the Harbor Gateway), Carson, and parts of Long Beach and Lakewood. In a December special election, Furutani barely missed gaining the majority needed to avoid a runoff.

As a leader in education, having served as president of both the Los Angeles Community College Board and the Los Angeles Board of Education, Furutani has advocated for improved management of schools and increased funding for school facilities. He has pledged to fight for quality and affordable health care, improve public schools, fight crime, make college more affordable, and address traffic and pollution.

The AAA-Fund is a national Democratic political organization whose goal is to increase the voice of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) in local, state and federal government, by encouraging AAPIs to volunteer on campaigns, raise money for candidates, and run for political office.