Comptroller starts bid to be New York City's 1st Asian mayor
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New York City Comptroller John Liu (center), is joined by his wife Jenny (waving), and son Joey (second right), as he greets supporters after announcing the launch of his mayoral campaign on the steps of City Hall, Sunday, March 17, 2013 in New York. Already the first person of Asian descent to be elected citywide in New York, Liu hopes to become the city's first Asian-American mayor. -- PHOTO: AP
NEW YORK (AP) - City Comptroller John Liu embarked on Sunday on a mayoral bid that reflects the political rise of New York City's Asian-American population but has been shadowed by a fundraising-conspiracy case against two former aides.
Already the first person of Asian descent to be elected citywide in New York, Liu, a Democrat, hopes to become its first Asian-American mayor.
Born in Taiwan, Liu came to New York City at age 5. He grew up and still lives in the Flushing section of Queens, a vibrant hub of immigrants from China, Korea and other Asian and Latin American countries.
Many Asian-Americans here have looked to him as a standard-bearer for increasing their community's political visibility and influence.
