AAPI FORCE 2026 ENDORSEMENTS
Asian American and Pacific Islanders can improve affordability, housing, healthcare, and overall quality of life when we turn out to vote as a force! We have the power to elect leaders and initiatives that keep us safe, housed, and resourced to survive and thrive.
Billionaires and corporations are pouring millions of dollars into elections for outcomes that increase their profits by keeping decision-making power in the hands of the wealthy few.
When we don't vote, others decide for us and we end up paying more: higher costs of living, fewer jobs, polluted environments, and restrictions on voting and decision-making.
Many of our 2026 candidates are endorsed by the CA Working Families Party (AAPI FORCE is a statewide steering organization), and/or our steering committee organizations. These candidates fight for working class communities and work to hold corporations accountable. They lead with the progressive values that we need to put people over profits.
We cannot sit out this election.
Vote for Leaders that Fight for Working Families
by November 3!
STATEWIDE ENDORSEMENTS
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![A woman with long black hair, wearing a maroon turtleneck and black pants, stands outdoors with her arms crossed, smiling slightly, with a blurred green park background.]()
Jane Kim
INSURANCE COMMISSIONER
Jane Kim is running for Insurance Commissioner to continue her decades-long work advocating for Californians because, with premium rates rising and coverage declining, we need a Commissioner who will put people ahead of insurance company profits. As a San Francisco County Supervisor, Jane fought for groundbreaking initiatives, including tuition-free Community College for all residents, the nation’s strongest minimum wage law, and a medical respite shelter for aging and sick homeless residents. Over the past four years, Jane has served as the California Director of the Working Families Party, where she worked alongside community leaders to build political power aligned with the needs of working families, not corporate interests.
Local Endorsements
BAY AREA (ALAMEDA, CONTRA COSTA, SF, SANTA CLARA COUNTY)
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![Close-up portrait of a smiling woman with long brunette hair, wearing a black blazer, outdoors with blurred trees and buildings in the background.]()
Liz Ortega
CALIFORNIA ASSEMBLY (AD-20)
For over two decades, the current AD-20 Assemblymember and California Labor Leader Liz Ortega-Toro has led the fight for safe, healthy, and diverse communities by working to create job opportunities and provide healthcare, housing, and safe neighborhoods for every family. As an Assemblymember, Liz Ortega has authored several bills that strengthen workplace protections and make housing more affordable. She has also been an outspoken advocate for the preservation of Health4All.
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![Barbara Lee]()
Barbara Lee
OAKLAND MAYOR
Barbara Lee was elected the 52nd Mayor of Oakland in 2025, becoming the first Black woman to lead the city. Before her election as Mayor, Barbara represented Oakland in the California Legislature and the U.S. House of Representatives for over three decades.During her first year in office, Mayor Lee’s priorities included: her “Keep the Town Clean” campaign removing over 6,600 tons of debris; reducing homeless encampments by transitioning people to effective mental health, addiction and job training programs; strengthening public safety through a combination of gun violence reduction and stronger prevention services; working with the League of Women Voters to reform City Hall to operate more efficiently and transparently; and ensuring that core City services are delivered reliably for all Oaklanders.
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![A woman with dark wavy hair wearing earrings and a colorful red, yellow, and black patterned garment, standing outdoors with a cityscape and mountains in the background.]()
Claudia Jimenez
RICHMOND MAYOR
Claudia Jiménez is a mother and an immigrant from Colombia who deeply loves the diversity and warmth of the Richmond community. She has long organized for healthcare, housing, jobs, and services for communities most impacted by racial injustice. Prior to joining City Council, she helped lead the “Invest in People, Not Prisons” campaign with Safe Return Project and CCISCO, which pushed to end local cooperation with ICE and redirected $5.2 million toward services for people in Contra Costa County returning home from incarceration. On council, she has expanded investments in Richmond through park improvements, main library renovations, hundreds of youth jobs, violence prevention programs, safer streets, rent relief, homelessness solutions, and expanded public services.
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![A middle-aged woman with curly gray hair, black-rimmed glasses, earring earrings, wearing a denim jacket and black top, smiling against a solid blue background.]()
Doria Robinson
RICHMOND CITY COUNCIL (D-3)
As a 3rd generation Richmond resident and current District 3 Council Member, Doria Robinson fights to make our community safe, healthy, equitable, and thriving. She worked alongside environmental justice groups, like Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN) and Communities for a Better Environment (CBE) and allied leaders to secure a historic $550 million settlement with Chevron that held polluters accountable and brought resources back to Richmond. She also helped restart a long-stalled housing project that put more than 400 low-income affordable homes back on track. Doria supported investments in Black and Latinx communities, like the building of the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center and co-sponsored $1 million for legal aid in response to unjust immigration policies. Doria is committed to resisting corporate pressures and delivering the quality city services that the people of Richmond deserve.
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![A woman with shoulder-length black hair smiling outdoors in a blue top, wearing pearl earrings and a pearl necklace, with a blurred city street background.]()
Connie Chan
CONGRESS (CA-11)
Connie Chan is an accomplished leader who is ready to take on corporate power and deliver for working families in her district and around the country. As a San Francisco supervisor, Chan fought to ensure $400 million in funding would be available for healthcare, food security, housing, and other services at risk of being cut. And Chan has protected immigrants, using her power to provide legal services, support and education. If elected, she would be the first Asian American to represent San Francisco in the House.
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![A smiling young man in a suit with a dress shirt, standing outdoors during sunset with houses and greenery in the background.]()
Alex Lee
CALIFORNIA ASSEMBLY (AD-24)
As the current Assemblymember, Alex Lee has consistently introduced and supported legislation to hold corporations accountable, make housing affordable, and fight climate change. A former student organizer, Alex Lee has led a people-powered campaign that firmly embraces progressive values. Alongside CA Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative, Assemblymember Lee has authored legislation to educate nail salon workers about their rights as employees. He is a champion for the Stop the Hate Program, which funds community-based interventions to prevent and address many forms of hate and discrimination.
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![A smiling man in a gray suit and pink shirt standing outdoors with a blurred background of trees.]()
Ash Kalra
CALIFORNIA ASSEMBLY (AD-25)
An Assemblymember since 2016, Ash Kalra has been one of the boldest progressive and righteous voices in the state legislature. He has stood up for environmental justice, tenant protections, and workers’ rights. Prior to his role in public service, Ash Kalra has served as a board member of several immigrant and AAPI community based organizations in San Jose, such as Somos Mayfair and the Asian Law Alliance.
CENTRAL VALLEY (SACRAMENTO & FRESNO)
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![A smiling woman with long dark hair wearing a purple blazer standing in front of a building with glass doors.]()
Mai Vang
CONGRESS (CA-7)
Mai is the daughter of Hmong refugees, born and raised in Sacramento. As the oldest of 16 children, she helped raise her siblings while working hard to build a career dedicated to helping her community thrive. Mai is a proud product of public schools and was the first in her family to attend college. As a Sacramento City USD board member, Mai championed and passed Ethnic Studies and the first-ever Safe Haven Resolution in the State of California, ensuring that our schools remained a place of safety and protection for all students and families, regardless of immigration status. As a Sacramento City Council member, Mai led one of the most linguistically diverse community-run vaccination clinics in the nation during the COVID-19 pandemic; established the first-ever Sacramento Children’s Fund; and secured over $40 million in public investments to strengthen neighborhoods.
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![A woman smiling, wearing a bright blue blazer, purple top, and large circular earrings with a striped pattern. The background is a gradient of maroon and light blue.]()
Dr. Flo Cofer
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS (D-1)
Dr. Flojaune Cofer is a nationally trusted public health professional, a seasoned California policy expert, and a consistent local advocate working to build a Sacramento that protects our health and serves everyone. An epidemiologist by training, Dr. Cofer previously served as Senior Director of Policy at Public Health Advocates, where she led statewide health equity initiatives focused on prevention, and on preparedness, response, and recovery from public health emergencies. She also led California’s preconception health initiative at the California Department of Public Health, helping ensure that maternal health and reproductive coverage were included in the Affordable Care Act. Dr. Cofer is deeply committed to civic engagement and has served in numerous local leadership roles, including four terms as Chair of the City of Sacramento Measure U Advisory Committee.
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![A cheerful man with a beard and a turban, wearing a maroon sweater, standing against a neutral wall.]()
Naindeep Singh
FRESNO CITY COUNCIL (D-1)
Raised in Fresno and guided by a lifelong commitment to education and service, Naindeep Singh has devoted his career to fighting for working families, so they can afford to stay, thrive, and build stable lives right here at home. As an educator, nonprofit leader, and school board trustee with Central Unified School District, he has overseen a $300 million public school budget, authored statewide legislation to expand bilingual services, stood with workers against wage theft, and built a Fresno-based organization that has brought millions of dollars into the Valley, creating jobs and opening doors for young people.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA (LA & OC)
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Jessica Caloza
CALIFORNIA ASSEMBLY (AD-52)
Elected to the Assembly in 2024, Jessica Caloza is a proud immigrant, renter, advocate for women’s rights, and the daughter of working-class parents who aims to fight for working families and middle-class Californians. In the Assembly, she has supported legislation to strengthen tenant protections and expand access to resources for small businesses and community organizations. Prior to her time as an Assemblymember, she worked for President Obama to help improve underfunded public schools and as LA Public Works Commissioner, where she expanded union jobs, raised wages for workers, and ensured equal pay for women.
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![A smiling woman with dark hair wearing a black blazer and blue button-up shirt, standing outdoors in front of a house with a white picket fence and a well-maintained yard.]()
Jessie Lopez
CA ASSEMBLY (AD-68)
Born and raised in Santa Ana, Jessie Lopez is the proud daughter of immigrants who came to the United States seeking safety and opportunity. Jessie stepped up to run for City Council because she saw a lack of leadership fighting for the best interests of Santa Ana’s working families. Elected to represent Ward 3 in 2020 and re-elected in 2024, Jessie has delivered real results—leading efforts to expand affordable housing, address homelessness, protect public land, and improve water quality. Now, Jessie is running for State Assembly to be a progressive champion and a voice for working families across California.
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![A smiling man with glasses, dressed in a business casual outfit, standing inside a building near a door and locker.]()
Hieu Nguyen
GARDEN GROVE CITY COUNCIL (D-4)
Born in Vietnam in 1984, Hieu immigrated to the United States in 1993 with his family of eleven in search of opportunity. He attended Garden Grove public schools and was raised in a small apartment in the same district he is now running to represent. Growing up in a working-class immigrant family instilled in him a deep understanding of opportunity, hard work, and resilience.
Over the past 17 years, Hieu has built a reputation as a problem solver who brings people together and gets things done. As Director of the Office of Population Health and Equity at the Orange County Health Care Agency, he led one of the county’s most ambitious efforts to address health and social inequities. He is a co-founder of Viet Rainbow of Orange County, building support networks for hundreds of families locally and nationally.
Join us to Get Out the Vote!
AAPI FORCE-EF is launching our GOTV Phone Bank and Door Knocking program this Fall, educating and empowering voters to turn out to vote in this upcoming election.
Sacramento and San Gabriel Valley/LA with AAPI FORCE
Bay Area/San Francisco with Chinese Progressive Action Fund
South Bay Area/San Jose with South Bay Youth Changemakers
Communities are pushing back against rising authoritarianism and together, we will strengthen our communities, protect our rights to democracy by take collective action ahead of the 2026 midterm elections!
Let’s get rooted, build power, and rise together. Sign up to join us for our upcoming Voters Door Knock Program below.
