William Tong, '00: Elected Attorney General of the State of Connecticut

Op-ed: Why Tong’s win matters

As a newcomer to Connecticut from California, I had preconceptions about the social, cultural and racial milieu of the state in 2005. I knew that its population was predominantly Caucasian and that it had a history for being a Blue State.

Soon, I was able to meet the locals and realized that there were not very many Asian faces in the community. In fact, the Census data for 2005 for Connecticut indicated Asians comprised 4.1 percent of the state population and 2.4 percent of Fairfield County’s population.

During the 2006 election cycle, I had a chance to meet William Tong. He was a stranger and I knew nothing of his personal background. He informed me that he was a candidate for the Connecticut State Assembly, representing Stamford and New Canaan.

My first reaction was “there is no way this Asian American guy is going to win an election in Connecticut.” In fact, I told him so.

He smiled and offered me a countenance of confidence and self-worth. A few months later, he defeated a multi-term incumbent to begin his six-term career in the State Assembly.

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