For the first time in United States history, a Filipino American woman is the front-runner for a seat in the United States Congress.
Donna Mercado Kim is a Democratic politician currently serving as the 13th President of the Hawaii Senate. Her previous experience includes serving on the Honolulu City Council, in the State House of Representatives and in the State Senate as the Chair of the Ways and Means and Tourism Committees.
She has been acknowledged as the top contender for the first congressional seat vacated by U.S. Senate candidate Rep. Colleen Hanabusa.
”I believe I am that (strong and experienced) leader and have the record to prove it,” Kim says on her website.
If elected, Kim would be the first Filipino American woman in the Capitol. She would join fellow Filipino Americans elected to the federal legislature, Robert Scott of Virginia, a Democrat, and Steve Austria of Ohio, a Republican, in Congress.
According to her website, she is also Korean, Spanish, Portuguese and Chinese.
To read more about the Filipino Americans in United States public office, read the article about projections for the 2014 mid-term elections at Rappler.
