Silicon Valley will elect 1st Viet American supervisor

Santa Clara County in the heart of California’s Silicon Valley is on the verge of an historic first: electing a Vietnamese American supervisor. In the closely watched District 2 race, Betty Duong and Madison Nguyen lead the field.

As reported by San Jose Spotlight, Duong, currently Chief of Staff to Supervisor Cindy Chavez, brings a background in law and years of experience in county government. Nguyen, formerly the Vice Mayor of San Jose, has a long history of public service and seeks to extend her impact at the county level​.

As KQED reports, whoever is elected will face the challenge of overcoming a $250 million budget deficit.

Duong says she prefers not to take a “doom and gloom” approach, but instead says “Yes, we’re making cuts, but this is our first budget deficit after a decade of unprecedented growth.”

Nguyen blames county leaders who “wasted millions of dollars on bad land deals. They mismanaged contracts.” She promises to bring in more money for the county from the state and federal governments.

Duong wants to see a more “proactive intervention” to help people with mental health challenges. She will call on the state to provide more resources for the county.

Nguyen again blames county leaders for not doing enough. “I think that it’s time that Santa Clara County stop making excuses and move forward, finding solutions, because we are talking about people who are most vulnerable and they are in crisis mode.”

As indicated in San José Spotlight, Nguyen’s campaign has faced challenges, including reports of stolen campaign signs. San Jose Councilmember Bien Doan has announced plans to file a formal complaint regarding the theft of signs supporting Nguyen, raising concerns about election integrity.

As Election Day approaches, the potential election of a Vietnamese American supervisor highlights the growing influence of the Vietnamese American community in Santa Clara County, a group with deep ties to the region.

Both Duong and Nguyen have focused their campaigns on key local issues such as housing affordability, public safety, and healthcare access. The election of either candidate would mark a major step forward for representation and underscore the power of this once-underrepresented community in regional politics​.