Blong Xiong's campaign for Fresno City Council has received thousands of dollars from fellow members of the Hmong community. About 200 have volunteered to knock on doors in west-central Fresno and make phone calls on his behalf.
The real significance of Xiong's campaign to the Hmong community, however, is that — win or lose — he's become a role model who will draw many more Southeast Asians into politics, say community leaders and political experts.
"He's showing people in the Hmong community the power of voting and why it's important to get involved," said Mai Summer Vue, chairwoman of the local chapter of the Hmong American Coalition for Human Rights and founder of the Central Valley Hmong Democrats Club.
Xiong, who trailed Scott Miller by just seven votes in the crowded June primary, is now in a runoff with Miller.
If Xiong wins Nov. 7, he would become the first Asian-American on the Fresno City Council and just the third Hmong elected official in California.
Xiong's campaign, Vue said, is introducing many Southeast Asian residents to the election process.
"They're helping him with precinct walks, fundraising activities and phone banking. These are the kind of things that our community really needs to do," Vue said.
"Without someone like Blong, it would be more difficult to get people involved."
Xiong's campaign also will inspire more Hmong to vote and run for political office, said Tim Orman, a veteran political consultant.
"I think it will show what people have been saying for a long time — that the Hmongs are a force to be reckoned with," Orman said.
By becoming more politically active, local Southeast Asians are following the footsteps of many immigrant groups who swayed elections and shaped government decisions, said Kenneth Hansen, an assistant professor of political science at California State University, Fresno.
"Especially if he were to win, it would be a big win for the Hmong community. … [It would say] hey, we've arrived," Hansen said.
Fresno's Hmong population, estimated at 24,000 by last year's census survey, ranks second in the nation behind that of St. Paul, Minn.
The Hmong community achieved its biggest political victory when Mee Moua, a St. Paul resident, was elected to the Minnesota state Senate in 2002. She is the first Hmong member of a state legislature.
Xiong, however, knows he can't win a council seat in west-central Fresno with the Hmong vote alone. There are too few Hmong in that section of the city, he said. Council Member Mike Dages' southeast district has the highest concentration of Hmong people.
Xiong said he is a candidate who is Hmong, but he does not view himself as the Hmong candidate. District 1, he said, is a diverse community and he wants to represent everyone in the community.
"If I was just a candidate looking for Hmong voters, I would've chosen the wrong district," said Xiong, adding that he knows Southeast Asians throughout the city are watching his campaign.
"If I can play a role in helping people realize they can do it — even if it's just so they can say, 'Look, he made it,' or 'He tried' — then I've done my part. Even if I was just a face on a campaign poster or just a picture."
Southeast Asians are helping plant Xiong's signs in front yards throughout west-central Fresno and many are funding his campaign, albeit with mostly modest donations — some as small as $1.
"That's why I say it's a grass-roots effort," Xiong said. "It's about people giving a dollar, $10, $20. And that dollar means so much."
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