In Election Win, My-Linh Thai Wants To Uplift Other Refugees

BELLEVUE, WA - Running in her first statewide election in 2018, Bellevue's My-Linh Thai appears headed for victory, which would make her the first first-generation refugee to hold statewide office in Washington.

During a speech Monday night at the Democratic election party at the Bellevue Hilton, Thai called out fellow refugees, saying that they can follow in her footsteps.

“Asian Americans and Pacific Islander Americans (AAPI) are one of the fastest growing ethnic groups, and we make up a large portion of small business owners contributing to our overall economic prosperity. AAPI continue to experience microaggression and the model minority myths which perpetuate the invisibility of our struggling population and create trauma/stress to others. Representation matters," she told the Northwest Asian Weekly in July.

As of Tuesday, Thai was beating Republican Michael Appleby 65.49 to 34.51 percent. Thai stepped into the race earlier in 2018 when Democrat Judy Klibborn announced she wouldn't seek reelection.

Thai, a pharmacist, is president of the Bellevue School Board. She came to Washington from Vietnam at age 15, and has lived in Wyoming and Montana.

File photo by Neal McNamara/Patch