RICHMOND, September 23rd, 2015--The National Federation of Independent Business, Virginia’s leading small-business association, has endorsed Chuong Nguyen in the 87th House District race.
“Chuong Nguyen is clearly the best choice for small business owners, their employees and their families,” said Nicole Riley, state director of NFIB/Virginia.
“I am proud to have the support of the NFIB, the leading voice for small business. I am committed to creating an environment where small businesses can thrive,” added Nguyen.
The NFIB/Virginia SAFE Trust’s endorsement is critical to the Chuong for Delegate campaign. Small business owners and their employees vote in high numbers and are known for actively recruiting friends, family members and acquaintances to go to the polls. NFIB has pledged it will activate its grassroots network on behalf of the campaign. NFIB’s political support is based on the candidates’ positions and records on small business issues.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today the Republican State Leadership Committee’s (RSLC) Future Majority Project and Right Women, Right Now initiatives announced a $100,000 commitment before Labor Day to divide between key races for the Virginia House of Delegates. Today’s immediate $80,000 contribution will go to the campaigns of Sang Yi running in the 37th District, Jason Miyares running in the 82nd District, Danny Vargas running in the 86th District, Chuong Nguyen running in the 87th District, and Lara Overy running in the 93rd District.
Now in their third election cycles, the Future Majority Project (FMP) and Right Women, Right Now (RWRN) initiatives aim to identify, recruit, train, support and elect new diverse and women Republican candidates at the state level. This election cycle with a shared $7 million investment goal, FMP aims to recruit and support 250 new, diverse candidates and see 50 elected or appointed, while RWRN aims to recruit and support 500 new candidates and see 150 elected or appointed. During the 2013-2014 cycle, FMP helped elect 43 new diverse candidates while RWRN helped elect 138 new women candidates.
Sang Yi, 37th District: Yi is a first-generation Korean-American who immigrated to the United States with his parents, and is now running to represent a Virginia district with a high concentration of Korean-Americans. He is a dedicated public servant deeply committed to his Northern Virginia community. He is a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve, has worked in the Defense Department and now is on Capitol Hill.
Jason Miyares, 82nd District: Miyares is a conservative attorney, former prosecutor and community leader. His mother is a Cuban exile who instilled in her son the values of freedom and opportunity. Running in Virginia Beach’s 82nd District, he would be the first Cuban-American to serve in the state house if elected.
Danny Vargas, 86th District: Vargas is an award-winning businessman, media personality, and U.S. Air Force Veteran. A Puerto Rican raised by a single mother in New York, today Vargas is active in civic engagement and political leadership. He would be the first Latino to represent the 86th House District if elected.
Chuong Nguyen, 87th District: Nguyen is a Harvard graduate, attorney, teacher and former counselor. He and his family escaped communist Vietnam on a fishing boat, journeyed through a Malaysian refugee camp, and finally arrived in the United States. Nguyen became an involved member of his community in Virginia and would be the first Vietnamese-American to represent the increasingly diverse 87th House District if elected.
Lara Overy, 93rd District: Overy is a development professional, philanthropist, and first-generation college graduate. She grew up in the 93rd District and raised her own family there as a once single, young mother. She seeks to represent her life-long community by being a bridge-builder and advocate for greater educational and economic opportunities.
Right Women, Right Now (RWRN) serves to identify, recruit and support women candidates nationwide in order to help elect more Republican leaders who better embody the electorate of our country, where women are 53 percent of the voters. RWRN offers candidate trainings, mentorship matchings and digital organizing tools for our candidates’ campaigns for state-level office. Since its founding in 2012, RWRN has recruited hundreds of women candidates, elected 222 new women to office and continues working to grow the largest caucus of Republican elected women in the country. In the 2015-2016 cycle, RWRN aims to recruit 500 new women candidates to run for state-level office, see 150 of the candidates appointed or elected, and see 15 women elected officials enter state-level leadership - spending at least $7 million, in partnership with FMP. It aims to start six statewide training programs beginning in 2016. RWRN is co-chaired by Tennessee Speaker of the House Beth Harwell, Arizona Secretary of State Michele Reagan and Iowa Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds.
The Future Majority Project (FMP) seeks to identify, recruit, train and support candidates who better reflect the full diversity of our nation. Launched in 2011, FMP supports men and women from diverse communities as they run to grow the economy, support job creators and focus on ways to keep more money in the pockets of working families. The efforts are helping to build a strong bench of current and future Republican leaders. In 2015-2016, FMP aims to spend at least $7 million – in partnership with Right Women, Right Now – to recruit 250 new diverse candidates and see 50 of those appointed or elected to state-level office. FMP plans to see 10 diverse elected officials enter leadership and expand the initiative’s “Diversity in Business” roundtable program. FMP is chaired by former Oklahoma Speaker of the House T.W. Shannon, with Governors Susana Martinez (R-NM) and Brian Sandoval (R-NV) serving as Honorary Co-Chairs.
The Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC) is the largest caucus of Republican state leaders in the country and the only national organization whose mission is to elect down-ballot, state-level Republican officeholders. Since 2002, the RSLC has been working to elect candidates to the offices of lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, state legislator, the judiciary and other down-ticket races. The RSLC has more than 150,000 donors in all 50 states. During the 2013-2014 election cycle, the RSLC was active in all 50 states and picked up ten new state legislative chambers, leading to an all-time historic high of 69 chambers controlled by Republicans. Additionally, Republicans saw net gains in 62 chambers and picked up six lieutenant governors, leading to 31 total Republican lieutenant governors, along with holding a Republican majority of secretaries of state, now at 28. The RSLC successfully expanded the Future Majority Project and Right Women, Right Now initiatives, spending more than $6 million in direct support of Republican candidates of diverse descent and women, leading to the election of 164 new candidates. Last cycle, the RSLC also launched the Judicial Fairness Initiative and the new top-level domain for the Republican Party, ‘.gop.’ To learn more about the RSLC, please visit www.rslc.gop or follow @RSLC on Twitter.
Chuong Nguyen, the Republican state delegate candidate in Virginia’s 87th District, left his native country of Vietnam in a small fishing boat and found refuge in Malaysia before coming to the United States. His father had been imprisoned in a re-education camp, and his wife’s family was broken up when they were arrested and imprisoned after trying to flee.
But Mr. Nguyen, who has been a teacher, a prosecutor and a small-business owner, said his candidacy should not be defined by his ethnicity.
“I would never want to be a minority candidate in the sense [that] I’m only defined by ethnicity. It’s a minority candidate in the sense that you want to lend a voice not only because of my ethnicity, but also by the views and perspectives that have been in the minority, that have been not fully appreciated within a larger forum,” said Mr. Nguyen, who is competing to represent the district comprising parts of Loudoun and Prince William counties.
South Riding, VA | May 22nd, 2015: Republican Party of Virginia Chairman John Whitbeck announced today that the party has selected South Riding attorney Chuong Nguyen to be the Republican nominee for the 87th House District. Nguyen will replace Delegate David Ramadan, who is not seeking re-election after serving two terms in the House.
Nguyen was born in Saigon, South Vietnam, and immigrated to the United States as a young boy. His family escaped communist Vietnam after his father was imprisoned in a rehabilitation camp. Nguyen is a graduate of Harvard University and the University of Richmond T.C. Williams School of Law.
Upon graduating from Harvard, Nguyen taught at the Woodberry Forest School in Orange, VA. He then attended law school and worked as a law clerk to the Honorable Chief Justice Harry Carrico at the Supreme Court of Virginia, and as an Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney in the Loudoun County Commonwealth Attorney's Office. He is currently in private practice.
Nguyen is married to Dr. Trang Vo-Nguyen, founder and Medical Director of The Virginia Institute for Surgical Arts in South Riding.
"I am honored to be selected as the Republican nominee for the 87th House District," said Nguyen. "As a Delegate, I will work to continue to provide the outstanding constituent service that residents are used to receiving from Delegate Ramadan, and I will be focused on the issues that matter most to the residents of eastern Loudoun and western Prince William like transportation, education, and economic growth."
"Chuong Nguyen is an ideal candidate for the 87th District," said RPV Chairman John Whitbeck. "Like Delegate Ramadan, his story and experience will resonate with the diverse voters in eastern Loudoun, and he understands the challenges of being a first generation immigrant. He will be a great addition to our strong slate of Republican candidates and to the House Republican Caucus."
"Representing the 87th District in Mr. Jefferson's Capitol has been the greatest honor of my life," said Delegate David Ramadan. "I'm very pleased to support Chuong Nguyen for the seat that I have occupied for the past four years. Like me, he is a first generation immigrant who is living the American Dream. From his outstanding education to his real world experience, Chuong is well qualified to represent us in the House of Delegates, and I'm confident that he will fight hard for our area and continue the strong relationships with other local officials and the community."