After a primary race with a field of five and a competitive general election, Silicon Valley is about to get its first Vietnamese American representative on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors.
Betty Duong, Chavez’s current chief of staff, is currently leading against former San Jose Vice Mayor Madison Nguyen in the race to replace Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez, who terms out in December.
As of 12:16 p.m. Tuesday, frontrunner Duong is ahead with with 29,470 votes. Opposing candidate Nguyen trails behind with 27,335 votes.
The hotly contested race has voters split along pro-labor and pro-business lines as the community chooses who will represent them on the board.
Duong’s pro-labor platform advocates bolstering homelessness prevention by expanding medical treatment beds as a housing option and public safety through rehabilitation programs. With over a decade of local government experience, the East San Jose native is backed by the South Bay Labor Council and supporters Chavez, U.S. Rep. Zoe Lofgren, the Santa Clara County Democratic Party and Santa Clara County Sheriff Bob Jonsen.
Born in Vietnam and raised in California, Nguyen became the first Vietnamese American elected to the San Jose City Council in 2005. Her pro-business platform prioritizes addressing homelessness through quicker transitional housing solutions and supports harsher penalties for drug crimes and theft through Proposition 36. Nguyen’s endorsements included San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan and former mayors Chuck Reed and Ron Gonzales.
The winner of Chavez’s seat will shape the future of District 2, which includes East San Jose, parts of downtown, and a large Vietnamese population.
