Author Description

The impact of 14 million Asian Pacific Americans on the upcoming 2008 presidential election is one of many topics examined in the new 13th edition (2007-08) of the National Asian Pacific American Political Almanac, which was released today in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.. The 254-page almanac also documents the continuously growing numbers of Asian Pacific American elected and major appointed officials. It includes a listing of more than 2,000 Asian Pacific American elected and major appointed officials at the federal, state and local levels for 37 different states from Hawaii to Connecticut, as well as the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam and the Mariana Islands. The UCLA Asian American Studies Center and the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS) in Washington, D.C. compiled the 13th Edition of the almanac. Professors Don T. Nakanishi of UCLA and James S. Lai of Santa Clara University were the co-editors of the almanac, and Ann Nguyen of APAICS was the researcher. The publication is intended to provide the most comprehensive and up-to-date compilation of practical information, empirical research and policy perspectives on the electoral involvement of the nation's Asian Pacific American population in American politics. The almanac was supported by a major grant from the AT and T Foundation. The edition also features the latest census data on Asian Americans; exit polls from the November 2006 elections, as well as a national directory of Asian American and Pacific Islander political, civil rights, advocacy and legal organizations. Analyses of current Asian Pacific American political activities, especially in relation to the upcoming presidential election, are offered by a diverse group of political scientists, elected officials and political organizers from across the country: Andrew Aoki, Augsburg College; Christine Chen, APIAVote!; Paul Fong, DeAnza Foothill College; Rep. Barbara Marumoto, Hawaii State Legislature; Natali