Margaret Chin is spending the last two days before New York’s City’s general election greeting voters at subway stops, working the phones – determined to finish strong. In spite of her all-but-certain victory in the District 1 City Council race next week, she’s not taking anything for granted. In a message to supporters, she said, “please make sure to tell your friends and family
to get out and vote on Tuesday… I want to win with a
high turnout.”
Chin is not expected to face much of a challenge from her Republican opponent, in the heavily Democratic district. According to Campaign Finance Board records, Irene Horvath has one single campaign contribution of $100. The contributor: Irene Horvath.
Chin is urging voters to support Bill Thompson, in his uphill battle to defeat Mayor Michael Bloomberg. She and Thompson have a rally planned tomorrow afternoon (Monday) at 430pm, in Chatham Square. In an article appearing on CNN.com, Chin said of Bloomberg, “He needs to be a mayor for everyone. I think he’s favoring the more
well-to-do… New York City’s working families have lots of
needs, and he hasn’t always been there for them.”
The CNN story focused on Chin’s impending victory as a sign of the growing influence of Asian Americans in New York City (and national) politics. She talked about the experience of her father, who “scratch(ed) out a living as a waiter in the Bronx” before bringing the rest of the family to America:
…his decision to pursue the American dream — starting as an
undocumented immigrant — left a lasting impression on his only
daughter. Today, immigration reform is one of her passions… People
are here because of the opportunities America has to offer,” she said.
“They work hard. They struggle. We need to fix our immigration system
so more people can help build the country.”
Chin has spent most of her time in the weeks following her victory over incumbent Alan Gerson in the Democratic Primary reaching out to the district’s diverse constituencies. She’s held dozens of meetings with organizations from the Lower East Side to Tribeca, pledging to represent every neighborhood.
