Vietnamese to stand for US legislature

GARDEN GROVE, California – Among the keepsakes to be circulated at the Republican National Convention in New York is a calendar celebrating the party’s commitment to diversity, with pictures of Secretary of State Colin Powell, Abraham Lincoln, national security adviser Condoleezza Rice and Van Tran.

The 39-year-old city councilman is expected to win the state assembly seat in his Republican-leaning Orange County district in November. Tran would become the first Vietnamese-American elected to the California legislature and the highest-ranking Vietnamese-American in elective office nationwide.He also would become an instant symbol of diversity within the Republican Party.”I think what’s exciting is not that I’m the highest or the first,” said Tran, who will be a delegate at the Republican convention.”It’s that if you look at my background, it’s a great American success story that so many immigrants who have gone before the Vietnamese have experienced.”- Nampa-APTran would become the first Vietnamese-American elected to the California legislature and the highest-ranking Vietnamese-American in elective office nationwide.He also would become an instant symbol of diversity within the Republican Party.”I think what’s exciting is not that I’m the highest or the first,” said Tran, who will be a delegate at the Republican convention.”It’s that if you look at my background, it’s a great American success story that so many immigrants who have gone before the Vietnamese have experienced.”- Nampa-AP