Madison Nguyen Expects to Win Outright in June Primary

When answering the San Jose Chamber of Commerce's candidate questionnaire for endorsement, Madison Nguyen confidently expected herself to win outright in the upcoming June primary.  See excerpts below from her written answers to SJCC.


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                                                    San Jose City Council

                         Candidate Questionnaire – Council Candidates District 7

                                                    June 2010 Election




Please answer all questions. The completed questionnaire must be returned electronically by 5:30 pm, Monday, March 22 via an attached Word document to Pat Sausedo at pats@sjchamber.com Questions, please call Pat Sausedo at (408) 291-5200 or the Candidate Cultivation Co-chairs Dennis Martin at (408) 294-5682 or John Tang at (408) 279-7900.


Your scheduled interview with the Candidate Cultivation Committee is scheduled for Thursday, March 25th between 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm at the Chamber of Commerce Office, 101 W. Santa Clara St., in downtown San Jose. A specific time for your interview will be confirmed by the Candidate Cultivation co-chairs prior to March 25th.


NAME: Madison Nguyen

CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE NAME: Re-elect Madison Nguyen for City Council 2010

OFFICE SEEKING: San Jose City Council, District 7

FPPC #: 1322714 ........................................................................



Please provide a brief overview of your campaign strategy i.e., key endorsements, fundraising goals, amount raised to date, consultants you have retained. (50 words or less)


1. How many votes do you need to win: 7,000 votes to win outright in June

2. How much money will you raise for your campaign: $96,000

3. Who has endorsed your campaign: Mayor Chuck Reed, Vice Mayor Judy Chirco and Councilmembers Pete Constant, Ash Kalra, Sam Liccardo, Nora Campos, Rose Herrera and Nancy Pyle, Police Officers Association, International Association of Fire Fighters (Local 230), Association of Retired Police and Fire Fighters and among many other elected officials and organizations

4. Are you getting professional help on your campaign? (List names and roles):

 Yes, I expect individuals and organizations that endorsed my campaign to help me win outright in June.

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Minh Duong - A Republican Candidate

With a wave of Vietnamese-Americans successfully elected to local and state offices as Republican candidates, the candidacy of Minh Duong for the city council seat in District 7 has brought intrigue to the June primary.

Andy Nguyen, a newcomer to politics defeated a long time incumbent last night for the commissioner race in Tarrant County (The same county where the famous Texas Cowboys call home).  He won in a county where there is only 4% Asian.  He contributed his upset victory to the voters wanting change.

Minh Duong, an eloquent and successful small businessman who believes in small government and balancing the budget, brings a fresh face to San Jose politics.  Instead of the usual Labor Union's candidates and status-quo lawyers with political ambition, he is independent, unafraid and has a small business owner's can-do mentality.  With the control of City Hall by Labor Unions, Minh Duong, if he could beat the heavily favorite darling of Labor Unions - Madison Nguyen, will no doubt help bring some real life business experience to help solve budget issues and break the special interest stronghold. 

However, Minh Duong has a difficult road ahead.  He is clearly an underdog and with a weak Republican Party in the Bay Area, he is on his own to make a name for himself.  The lone Repubican in the city council, Pete Constant, is impressed with Minh Duong.  However, he is hedging his bet for his 2014 mayoral ambition.  He thinks that by supporting Madison Nguyen for now, he will get the Labor Union votes needed for the mayoral race. 

The conventional wisdom is that Councilmember Madison Nguyen will win the primary.  She has the name recognition and the money to run a race in her favor.   Her Vietnamese-American voter base is weak and she will rely on the White and Hispanic to deliver her victory.  Unless the voters decide that they prefers politics as usual and their taxpaying dollars continue to be controlled by the powerful Labor Unions, this is a great opportunity to seek change and send a message.  

Andy Nguyen - A Republican Candidate

Andy Nguyen, a political newcomer in Tarrant County, Texas, is making headwaves with his campaign against long time County Commissioner Marti Ravenswaay.  Tarrant County is the home of 1.7 million residents and includes the city of Fort Worth and Arlington.  Tarrant County is about 55% White, 25% Hispanic, 12% Black, 4% Asian.   The county commissioner is equivalent to county supervisor in California.  The salary is about $128,000 annually.  There are 4 county commissioners representing four districts.  The commissioners work under the leadership of a county judge who is not a judge but an elected official countywide.

Andy Nguyen, a small business owner, won the Republican primany in March against the incumbent (42% to 34%).  With no winner reaching the 50% + 1, the runoff is scheduled for April 13.  The county is mostly Republican so there is no Democratic challenger in the general election.  Whoever wins the runoff will assume the commissioner seat.

The incumbent Marti Ravenswaay has served the seat for 20 years and is facing criticisms for her lack of focus and interest.  Andy Nguyen is riding a strong support of the Vietnamese-American community in Tarrant County where he once served as its president.  He has raised over $52,000 while Marti manages to raise less than $30,000.  At one of his fundraising events, 700 people came to show support and donation.
http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/03/06/2020329/vietnamese-community-flexes-political.html

If he wins, he will be the second ranking Vietnamese-American elected official in Texas after State Representative Hubert Vo (Democrat).  Similar to Nguyen, Hubert Vo was an underdog and came out of nowhere to win against a long time incumbent.  Can Nguyen pull of a big upset in a predominately White electorate?