LOS ANGELES
In an election that highlighted America’s fluid racial landscape, an Asian American candidate emerged as the leading contender to fill a U.S. House seat in an overwhelmingly Hispanic district.
Democrat Judy Chu topped a field of 12 candidates Tuesday, making her the favorite to claim the seat in a July runoff. Democrats hold a more than 2-1 registration edge in the district.
If elected, she would be Southern California’s only Asian American in Congress.
Voters looked beyond racial and ethnic identity and “made their decisions based on who was best qualified and who had the deepest roots in the district,” Chu said. “I just think people heard my message about being a coalition builder.”
With all percent of precincts reporting, Chu had 31.9 percent, followed by fellow Democrat Gil Cedillo, a Hispanic state senator, with 23.4 percent.
Because no candidate cleared a majority, the top finishers in each party advance to a July 14 runoff.
