Jun Choi, the Asian-American mayoral candidate for Edison, NJ who was dissed by the Jersey Guys, upset the incumbent mayor 55%-45% in the Democratic primary (thanks, Saurav). That virtually guarantees the 34-year-old’s victory in November:
It is the first time in Edison history that the mayoral candidate backed by the Democratic Party was defeated in a primary… [Home News Tribune]… [The incumbent] said he could think of two reasons why he didn’t win: The flap over the 101.5 FM “Jersey Guys” show when one of the hosts made a derogatory comment about Choi and Asian Americans, and a feeling that voters simply wanted a change after nearly 12 years with him as mayor. [Newsday]
I’d like to say it’s pretty clear what happened, that Edison resoundingly voted against anti-Asian racism. But it seems the Jersey Guys’ complaint that Choi was targeting minority voters was accurate, not that there’s anything wrong with that:
Choi’s primary victory is seen as a sign that Asian-Americans have arrived as a political force in the state’s fifth largest municipality, where nearly one in three voters is of Asian descent. “It shows the graduation of the Asian-American community to a level of sophistication, where they can impact an election,” said Edison Council President Parag Patel, the first Indian-American elected in the township…But Asian officials and others say what pushed Choi over the top in Tuesday’s election was his campaign’s decision to target the burgeoning Asian-American population with literature printed in Asian languages and ads in ethnic media… a strategy Patel said helped him get elected, too… The New York-based [AALDEF]… found nearly 10 percent of the respondents were first-time voters. “This is a very high number, particularly in a primary election…” [Star-Ledger]
And the Jersey Guys, jockeying with Paris Hilton for the Chutzpah Stakes, took credit for the win. Unbelievable:
Choi also received weeks of free publicity after hosts on New Jersey 101.5 FM in April poked fun at his Korean heritage, questioning who would vote for a candidate with that name… Yesterday, Carton and Rossi took credit for Choi’s victory. “Without us, Jun Choi is not elected as mayor of Edison,” Carton told listeners and said he was waiting for Choi to call in and thank him. Choi called later in the show, and Carton, sounding slighted, hung up on him. When Choi called back, Carton accused him of a lack of courtesy. [Star-Ledger]
Regardless of Choi’s ethnic background, it’s pretty clear he’s a true-blue politician ;)
Choi paraded a 6-foot yellow-feathered chicken, dubbed George “The Chicken” Spadoro, around town in an attempt to have the mayor debate him on Edison’s public access channel 22. [Home News Tribune]
