We featured them in March on our annual Power List of 40 people with undeniable influence on major policy battles — from abortion to environmental justice to elections to tense negotiations with geopolitical enemies.
Camala Harris
Selected on The Recast Power List for leading the White House’s fight for access to abortion during the midterm elections, the vice president himself urged the administration to keep talking about the abortion issue, arguing that it was a matter of personal freedom and resonated with voters of every gender.
With Biden announcing his re-election bid last week, Harris should take a prominent role, which would argue why voters should give the Biden-Harris administration four more years.
Diana Hwang
Hwang is nothing short of a change agent. Years ago, she founded an incubator program with the goal of identifying and elevating progressive AAPI women to political leadership. In the past year, she stepped it up a notch, when the Asian American Women’s Political Initiative created a fellowship program aimed at giving women up to $10,000 for projects with a social impact.
With elections coming up next year and a growing AAPI influence in politics, we predict you’ll be hearing a lot more about her in the years to come.
Kimberly Jee
There’s nothing like a politician who can connect with his constituents. Yee demonstrated this as no other Republican from Arizona could sustain the cycle. In a year with election deniers like Kari Lake and Blake Masters sharing the same ticket — and losing their respective races — Yee easily won the race for state treasurer. She attributed it to her campaign’s focus on not being distracted by “side issues.”
Yee is now one of the few Asian American women to hold statewide office in the country. Expect her profile to grow among National Republicans in the coming year.
Todd Kim
If you care about making polluters pay, Kim is the one to call. Taking companies to court and forcing them to pay to limit the spread of toxic airborne chemicals and filing complaints in cities like Jackson for violating rules to ensure safe drinking water for their residents is all part of Kim’s jam.
Keep an eye out for the DOJ attorney as he continues this fight — environmental justice is a key pillar of the Biden administration’s platform.
Lindsay Kagawa Colas
Paired on our list with Cherelle Griner, the wife of formally detained WNBA star Brittney Griner, Colas played a vital role in securing the hooper’s release from a Russian prison. Colas used her megaphone to emphasize why Griner was in Russia in the first place: the huge pay gap between WNBA stars and those in the NBA.
Look for Colas, who acts as Griner’s agent, to help Griner as she navigates her way back to court while advocating for other Americans being held in Russia.
