Washington, DC — Asian American Action Fund has endorsed Kansas State Representative Raj Goyle for U.S. Congress in 2010. If he wins, Goyle will become the first Asian American to be elected from the Great Plains.

"We are proud to endorse Raj — he brings both an impressive record of accomplishments in Kansas and a no-nonsense approach to politics that is about working together to get things done," said Gautam Dutta, AAA-Fund Executive Director.

Goyle is running to represent the 11 counties in south central Kansas that make up the state's 4th Congressional District. Wichita, which is located in the congressional district, is home to an estimated 12,000 Vietnamese Americans.

Goyle has served in the State House since 2006 and in that time has compiled an impressive record by working across the aisle. He led a successful drive to pass legislation expanding access to unemployment benefits for laid-off workers. Goyle also spearheaded efforts to pass a bill protecting military funerals from protests by religious extremists.

In 2006, he defeated a three-term incumbent in a heavily Republican state house district and won re-election in 2008 with 67 percent of the vote. He has received numerous Republican endorsements and his campaign manager for his state races was a Republican.

Goyle was born and raised in Wichita, where his parents ran a small medical clinic. He went on to attend Duke University and Harvard Law School, where he helped found a technology company. After law school he clerked for a federal judge and then became an advocate for improved education and voting rights for the disabled. He also gained expertise on homeland security issues.

Goyle will compete for an open seat currently held by Republican Todd Tiarht, who is running for U.S. Senate.

The AAA-Fund is a Democratic political action committee whose goal is to increase the voice of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) on every level of local, state and federal government in America. To achieve this goal, we address the chronic under-representation of AAPIs as campaign volunteers, campaign contributors, and candidates for political office. The AAA-Fund has endorsed candidates across the country.