By Tandy Lau  Amsterdam News May 28, 2026

“I often joked that I was the head of the Asian caucus in the City Council and that was a lone, unanimous vote,” recalled State Senator John Liu in a phone interview. The now-Queens lawmaker was not the first Asian American to run for a City Council seat, but he was the first to win.

When Liu entered office back in 2002, he received calls from colleagues, unions, and other entities enlisting him as the unofficial tip-line for everything Asian American in New York City. He recounted fielding questions about cultures, traditions, and where to eat.

“I even got one fellow council member, who had been in office for decades, to ask me to help their office translate some materials into ‘Asian,’” said Liu. “To which I asked for clarification about which language — whether it be Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Tagalog. Which they answered with: ‘No, just translate to Asian, just plain old Asian.’”

Today, Asian American/Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) are the city’s fastest growing racial group. Behind the monolith, more than 30 different ethnic groups live in the city, and they speak more than 50 different languages. “Plain old Asian” is not one. According to the state, New York City is now home to more Asian people than any other non-Asian city. Naturally, Asian New Yorkers desired more political representation to reflect this diversity, particularly in Queens, where many of their ethnoburbs developed.

Liu, who is Taiwanese American, also became the first Asian American citywide official when he won the 2010 comptroller’s race. Harlem kingmaker Bill Lynch, who famously advised a “who’s-who” of Black political luminaries, served as his chief advisor. They later teamed up again for Liu’s unsuccessful mayoral democratic primary bid in 2013, shortly before Lynch’s untimely death.

Ultimately, another decade passed before New York City elected its first Asian American mayor. Liu calls Zohran Mamdani’s victory last year a “moment of pride and empowerment.” He played a hand, endorsing the now-mayor before the Democratic primary.

Graphic Credit:  New York Amsterdam News / Amanda Ulloa / AmNews Illustration

Read the full story here: https://amsterdamnews.com/news/2026/05/28/mamdani-leads-a-new-day-in-nyc-diverse-political-landscape/