ASPIRE PAC
| Formation | 2011 |
|---|---|
| Membership | 19 |
PAC Chair | Marilyn Strickland |
| Affiliations | Democratic |
| Website | aspirepac |
The ASPIRE PAC (short for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Rising and Empowering Political Action Committee), formerly known as the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Leadership PAC (CAPAC Leadership PAC), is an American political action committee focused on supporting candidates of Asian American and Pacific Islander descent and those that support and promote the issues of the AAPI community. Founded in 2011, it is the political arm of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus.[1]
History
[edit]2012
[edit]Through its support, the PAC welcomed six newly elected AAPI Members of Congress in the 2012 Elections: Mazie Hirono, Ami Bera, Tammy Duckworth, Tulsi Gabbard, Grace Meng and Mark Takano.[2]
2014
[edit]In the 2014 Elections, the PAC supported and welcomed new members Ted Lieu and Mark Takai.
2016
[edit]In April 2016, Grace Meng was elected as PAC Chair, succeeding founder Judy Chu.[3][4] Chu became Immediate Past PAC Chair and continued her duties as Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, the official Congressional caucus.[5]
Endorsed candidates
[edit]- Hillary Clinton for President of the United States[6][7][8]
- Tammy Duckworth for Senate (IL)
- Chris Van Hollen for Senate (MD)
- Ami Bera for Congress (CA-07)
- Mike Honda for Congress (CA-17)
- Pramila Jayapal for Congress (WA-07)
- Raja Krishnamoorthi for Congress (IL-08)
- Grace Napolitano for Congress (CA-32)
- Scott Peters for Congress (CA-52)
2020
[edit]Endorsements
[edit]- Pritesh Gandhi (TX-10)
- Jackie Gordon (NY-2)
- Gina Ortiz Jones (TX-23)
- Kai Kahele (HI-2)
- Sri Preston Kulkarni (TX-22)
- Hiral Tipirneni (AZ-6)
- Candace Valenzuela (TX-24)
- Sima Ladjevardian (TX-2)
2026
[edit]Endorsements
[edit]In May 2025, ASPIRE PAC announced several endorsements in competitive primaries for the 2026 United States House of Representatives elections, including: Sanjyot Dunung, Eric Chung, Deja Foxx (for a 2025 special election), Anuj Dixit, Esther Kim Varet, and Amish Shah.[9][10]
Leadership
[edit]As of May 2025:[11]
Board members
[edit]- Chair: Marilyn Strickland (D-WA-10)
- Immediate Past Chair: Grace Meng (D-NY-6)
- Vice-Chair: Jill Tokuda (D-HI-2)
- Judy Chu (D-CA-27)
- Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)
- Mazie Hirono (D-HI)
- Ami Bera (D-CA-7)
- Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-7)
- Ro Khanna (D-CA-17)
- Andy Kim (D-NJ)
- Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL-8)
- Ted Lieu (D-CA-33)
- Doris Matsui (D-CA-6)
- Bobby Scott (D-VA-3)
- Mark Takano (D-CA-41)
- Shri Thanedar (D-MI-13)
- Dave Min (D-CA-47)
- Derek Tran (D-CA-45)
- Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA-10)
List of chairs
[edit]- 2024-present: Marilyn Strickland (D-WA-10)
- (2016-2024): Grace Meng (D-NY-6)
- (2011-2016): Judy Chu (D-CA-27
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Pro-Perry super PAC goes all in - Watchdogs hold out hope for W.H. rule - Leadership PAC for Judy Chu - K Street continues to prep for Occupy protests". Politico. Retrieved 2016-06-04.
- ^ Railey, Kimberly (2012-07-19). "Asian-Americans take higher profile in congressional races". Christian Science Monitor. ISSN 0882-7729. Retrieved 2016-06-04.
- ^ "Rep. Grace Meng Elected New Chair of CAPAC Leadership PAC". NBC News. Retrieved 2016-06-04.
- ^ "Meng Picked To Lead Asian PAC". Queens Tribune. 2016-04-21. Retrieved 2016-06-04.
- ^ "Grace Meng Elected as New Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Leadership PAC". CAPAC Leadership PAC. Archived from the original on 2016-06-07. Retrieved 2016-06-04.
- ^ Rupert, Evelyn (2016-05-28). "Asian, Pacific Islander lawmakers to endorse Clinton". The Hill. Retrieved 2016-06-04.
- ^ "Asian-American Lawmakers Endorse Clinton Before California Primary". HuffPost. 2016-05-31. Retrieved 2016-06-04.
- ^ Lee, MJ (3 June 2016). "California tests Clinton political machine". CNN. Retrieved 2016-06-04.
- ^ Cohen, Max (May 27, 2025). "Inside the ASPIRE PAC's endorsement slate". Punchbowl News. Retrieved May 29, 2025.
- ^ McIntire, Mary Ellen; Altimari, Daniela; Lesniewski, Niels. "At the races: A Democratic boogeyman steps aside". Roll Call.
- ^ "Leadership". ASPIRE PAC. Retrieved May 29, 2025.