2012 is a landmark year because a record number of Asian American candidates are on the ballot around the country. The following is a list of Asian American candidates running for Congressional and Senate seats this year. (Please let me know if I’ve missed any!)
I’ll update this table as winners are announced.
| Sen/Congress | District | APIA Candidate | Party | Opponent | Party | Winner | |
| CA | Congress | CD27 | Judy Chu* | D | Jack Orswell | R | Chu |
| CA | Congress | CD17 | Michael Honda* | D | Evelyn Li (also APIA) | R | Honda |
| CA | Congress | CD6 | Doris Matsui* | D | Joseph McCray | R | Matsui |
| CA | Congress | CD7 | Ami Bera | D | Dan Lungren | R | -too close- |
| CA | Congress | CD9 | Ranjit “Ricky” Gill | R | Jerry McNerney* | D | McNerney |
| CA | Congress | CD22 | Otto Lee | D | Devin Nunes | R | Nunes |
| CA | Congress | CD39 | Jay Chen | D | Ed Royce | R | Royce |
| CA | Congress | CD41 | Mark Takano | D | John F Tavaglione | R | Takano |
| CA | Congress | CD45 | Sukhee Kang | D | John Campbell | R | Campbell |
| HI | Senate | Mazie Hirono | D | Linda Lingle | R | Hirono | |
| HI | Congress | CD1 | Colleen Hanabusa* | D | Charles Djou (also APIA) | R | Hanabusa |
| HI | Congress | CD2 | Tulsi Gabbard | D | Kawika Crowley | R | Gabbard |
| IL | Congress | CD8 | Tammy Duckworth | D | Joe Walsh | R | Duckworth |
| MI | Congress | CD11 | Syed Taj | D | Kerry Bentivolio | R | Bentivolio |
| NJ | Congress | CD7 | Upendra Chivukula | D | Leonard Lance* | R | Lance |
| NY | Congress | CD6 | Grace Meng | D | Daniel Halloran | R | Meng |
| NY | Congress | CD23 | Nate Shinagawa | D | Tom Reed | R | Reed |
| NY | Congress | CD10 | Michael Chan | R | Jerrold Nadler* | D | Nadler |
| PA | Congress | CD6 | Manan Trivedi | D | Jim Gerlach* | R | Gerlach |
* — indicates incumbent
Of particular interest is Mazie Hirono’s Senate race in Hawaii. She is competing for the seat vacated by the retiring Senator Daniel Akaka. If she wins, Hirono will be the first Asian American woman to serve in the U.S. Senate.
