Yuh-Line Niou Declares Candidacy For New York's 10th Congressional District

State Assemblywoman Yuh-Line Niou's announcement on Twitter that she is running for the new 10th Congressional District in New York. Photo courtesy of @yuhline

New York Assemblywoman Yuh-Line Niou announced today that she is seeking election to the United States Congress instead of the state Senate seat she previously sought. It's a crowded and competitive field for a newly drawn seat resulting from the decennial redistricting process. Other candidates include former New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, Rep. Mondaire Jones, and New York Councilwoman Carlina Rivera. The new 10th district presents an interesting opportunity for Niou in that it include both Brooklyn and Manhattan Chinatowns and is 25% AAPI.

Niou is an activist legislator with an impressive following and record of accomplishments. She is outspoken in her advocacy for the AAPI community and other marginalized communities. Her official state Assembly bio states:

"Yuh-Line Niou has spent her career working on legislative and advocacy campaigns. In 2016, Yuh-Line was elected to serve the 65th Assembly District, representing the following lower Manhattan neighborhoods: the Lower East Side, Chinatown, South Street Seaport area, Financial District and Battery Park City.

Yuh-Line Niou began working on state policy issues while in college, eventually accepting a position with the Washington State House Health Committee Chair. While there, she helped develop policies to expand senior access to prescription medication, improve women’s health care, and expand health coverage for low-income families. Yuh-Line then went on to work as an advocate and organizer on anti-poverty issues, where she helped build a broad coalition to fight predatory lending and assist low-income families build financial assets.

She then served as Chief of Staff for New York State Assemblymember Ron Kim, where, under her leadership, the office assisted thousands of immigrants, small-business owners, teachers, seniors, workers, and students. She has drafted legislation to expand language access for immigrant communities, and has fought for more affordable housing and expanded services for seniors.

In the Assembly, Yuh-Line has continued her advocacy work around financial empowerment. She has pushed to improve financial protections for consumers, particularly for unbanked communities. On housing, Yuh-Line has worked to secure funding for New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) repairs, and has stood with tenant rights advocates for better housing regulations. Along with her colleagues, Yuh-Line helped form New York State’s first ever Asian Pacific American Legislative Task Force, which will focus on advancing issues impacting New York’s Asian American community.

Yuh-Line completed her Master’s degree in Public Administration at CUNY Baruch College as part of the National Urban Fellowship program, where she worked on regional and international environmental issues. Yuh-Line lives in the Financial District, in lower Manhattan."