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The Texas Tribune

A Race in One District Draws Focus to Asian Voters

Al Hoang, left, a candidate in the Republican primary for state representative, met with friends last week for their regular coffee meeting in Houston.Credit...Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune

A Democratic state representative who is the only Vietnamese-American ever elected to the Texas Legislature has drawn two Vietnamese-American Republican challengers. The contest underscores the diversity of the Houston district in a state where Asian-Americans are the fastest-growing race or ethnic group.

Nghi Ho and Al Hoang, the Republicans who are vying to unseat Representative Hubert Vo, are talking about the usual issues, like abortion. They are also talking about some unlikely topics, like the Communist government in Vietnam, the birthplace of all three candidates running in the southwest Harris County district, which includes most of Alief.

“It shows that a place like Alief has come a long way from what it was when it was first established as a fairly Anglo suburb of Houston,” said Mustafa Tameez, a political consultant for Mr. Vo’s first race.

Both Republicans, who will face off in the March 4 primary, have held public office: Mr. Ho, 47, is an Alief school trustee, and Mr. Hoang, 51, was a Houston city councilman who just lost a re-election bid.

Mr. Vo, 57, who has no primary opponent, is one of five Asian-Americans who have served in the Texas House (none have served in the Senate). The first was Tom Lee, a Chinese-American Democrat from San Antonio elected in 1964, followed decades later by Martha Wong, a Chinese-American Republican from Houston. Angie Chen Button, a Taiwanese-American Republican from Richardson, and Gene Wu, a Chinese-American Democrat from Houston, are current House members.

Statewide, from 2000 to 2010, the Hispanic population grew by larger numbers than any other group, but the smaller Asian population grew at a faster rate, increasing by 71 percent, compared with 42 percent for Hispanics, according to the state demographer’s office.

Mr. Vo’s district — which he has served since barely unseating Talmadge Heflin, a Republican, in 2004 — includes sizable white, black, Hispanic and Asian populations. Of the district’s 44,000 voters in the 2012 general election (they favored President Obama), 8 percent had Vietnamese surnames, according to the Harris County Clerk’s Office.

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Nghi Ho, an Alief school trustee, is competing against Mr. Hoang.Credit...Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune

Republicans are betting that many Vietnamese voters are Republicans who cross over to vote for Mr. Vo and that the swing district can return to G.O.P. hands with the help of that small but powerful group of voters.

“It’s a Vietnamese district — they seem to control it with their vote,” said Ms. Wong, president of the Texas Asian Republican Assembly and a supporter of Mr. Ho. “They vote for Vo because they want a Vietnamese in the House.”

As Mr. Hoang and Mr. Ho fight for the chance to face Mr. Vo in November, Vietnam has become a focus.

Mr. Hoang, who was imprisoned in Vietnam for more than a year when he traveled there in the 1990s as an activist seeking to overthrow the Communist government, now believes that peacefully pressuring the nation’s government to change is more realistic.

“When I’m elected, I myself will actively communicate with Hanoi,” said Mr. Hoang, a criminal defense lawyer.

Mr. Ho, a financial planner who emphasizes education and speaks of his service in the United States Navy, distanced himself from that issue.

“I don’t get into the politics of Communist Vietnam,” Mr. Ho said.

Mr. Hoang, who strongly opposes abortion, is also drawing attention to the difference between himself and Mr. Ho on that topic.

Mr. Ho said he was more focused on fiscal issues like lowering taxes and was neutral on abortion.

“Let the woman decide,” Mr. Ho said of abortion, but he added, “I wouldn’t say I’m pro-choice.”

Mr. Vo said that he had forged deep ties in his diverse district and that he was used to fielding challenges. “I just want to make sure they want to serve the people sincerely,” Mr. Vo said.

cmaclaggan@texastribune.org

A version of this article appears in print on  , Section A, Page NaN of the National edition with the headline: A Race in One District Draws Focus to Asian Voters. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

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