As Filipino American Democrats across the country have expressed excitement for former Vice President Joe Biden’s running mate, there’s one Fil-Am elected official who has experienced California Sen. Kamala Harris’ leadership up close.
When Harris was announced as Biden’s VP, state Assemblymember Rob Bonta was quick to praise the choice as it put energy back into the campaign.
“She just put lightning in a bottle when she joined [the] ticket and added an electricity and excitement,” the assemblymember said on Thursday, August 20 during a virtual post-convention event organized by Filipino Americans for Biden-Harris.
Harris — the daughter of Indian and Jamaican immigrants — is the first Black woman and the first Asian American person to be on a major party’s presidential ticket.
Bonta added, “Her role is also to help with inclusion. Her presence as a woman, a biracial woman of color, as a Black woman and an Asian woman, [shows] that we are a ticket for everyone, for all of us. People believe that because it’s true.”
The Fil-Am elected official, who represents the Golden State’s 18th assembly district, said he’s watched Harris ascend to different positions, from District Attorney of San Francisco to senator, and has “been impressed at every level.”
“Her skill set is incredible. She has everything — on a big stage, in a room with a handful of people and everything in between, making policy and doing politics. There’s nothing she doesn’t excel at,” Bonta said, touting Harris’ record on immigration, health care and pushing for disaggregated data for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities.
As the election nears, Fil-Am Biden-Harris supporters at the event recognized the urgency in getting out the vote, despite the pandemic preventing traditional campaign efforts.
For Bonta, he said November 3 is a way for the Fil-Am community to flex its voting power.
“This is an inflection moment. It has been said time and time again and it is our time to step up and make our voices heard and stand at our full height as the largest Asian American community in California and one of the largest in the nation,” he said.
