HISTORY
Asian American Texans have played a pivotal role in shaping Democratic Party politics for decades. At the 1990 Texas Democratic State Convention in Houston, the Asian American Democrats of Texas, Inc. (AADT) was established. Led by founding members, including Robert W. Gee, Gordon Quan, Mark Lee, and Judy Lee, AADT gained official recognition as a caucus of the Texas Democratic Party (TDP), the sole representative of the Asian American community in the state.
In later years, leaders such as Rogene Gee Calvert, Judge Hannah Chow, and Judge Toni Ingversen became involved in AADT leadership. In the early 2000s, Houston businessman Bien Tran assumed the presidency of AADT, guiding the organization until 2006.
The 2006 Texas Democratic State Convention in Fort Worth marked a significant milestone with the election of Asian Americans to the State Democratic Executive Committee (SDEC) for the first time. Farrukh Shamsi (SD7) and Arif Gafur (SD17) became their respective senate districts' representatives on the SDEC, and state party rules were amended to include two perpetual add-on members from the Asian American community. This resulted in the inclusion of Mini Timmaraju, then-President of AADT, and former Vice President AJ Durrani as members of the SDEC for that year.
In 2012, Farrukh Shamsi was elected as the Vice Chair for Finance of the state party, the third-highest ranked position in the state leadership and executive committee. In 2016, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) granted Texas a new at-large seat. At the 2016 Texas Democratic State Convention in San Antonio, AJ Durrani became the first Asian American from Texas to be elected to the DNC. Simultaneously, Kathleen Hoang was elected as the DNC representative to the youth seat, marking the first Asian Americans from Texas elected to the DNC.
Since 1990, over 40 Asian American Texans have been elected as national delegates to the Democratic National Conventions.
MISSION
Mobilize and unify Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders across the state into a cohesive political force in order to increase the Asian American voice in politics and government
OBJECTIVES
Sensitize progressive candidates and officeholders to the political needs of Asian American communities;
Promote the Democratic Party's message of economic justice and social progress;
Encourage Asian American participation in campaigns and at all levels of the party;
Maximize Democratic turnout in Asian American communities