Justin Hwang (born 1984) is an American restaurateur and politician from Oregon who served as chair of the

Oregon Republican Party The Oregon Republican Party is the U.S. state, state affiliate of the Republican Party (United States), United States Republican Party in Oregon, headquartered in Salem, Oregon, Salem. The party was established in the Oregon Territory in Februar ...

since 2022. He is the first

Asian American Asian Americans are Americans with ancestry from the continent of Asia (including naturalized Americans who are immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of those immigrants). Although this term had historically been used fo ...

and

Korean American Korean Americans () are Americans of full or partial Korean ethnic descent. While the broader term Overseas Korean in America () may refer to all ethnic Koreans residing in the United States, the specific designation of Korean American impli ...

to serve in the position. He previously served briefly as the vice chair from May to July of the same year. Hwang previously made unsuccessful bids for election to the

Oregon House of Representatives The Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly, the upper house being the Oregon State Senate. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of ...

and

Oregon State Senate The Oregon State Senate is the upper house of the State legislature (United States), statewide legislature for the US state of Oregon. Along with the lower chamber Oregon House of Representatives it makes up the Oregon Legislative Assembly. Ther ...

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

and

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

, respectively.

Personal life and business career

Hwang immigrated to the United States from

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

as a child and obtained

American citizenship Citizenship of the United States is a legal status that entails Americans with specific rights, duties, protections, and benefits in the United States. It serves as a foundation of fundamental rights derived from and protected by the Consti ...

in 2006. He is the founder of Joy Teriyaki, a restaurant chain in the

Portland metropolitan area The Portland metropolitan area is a metropolitan area, metro area with its urban area, core in the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington (state), Washington. It has 5 principal cities, the largest being Portland, Oregon. The U.S. Office of Man ...

, and operator of the Fairview Food Plaza. Hwang has lived in east

Multnomah County Multnomah County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 815,428. Multnomah County is part of the Portland metropolitan area. The state's smallest and most populous county, it ...

since 2003.

Oregon politics

Candidacies

Hwang ran in both the 2018 Oregon House of Representatives election and the 2020 Oregon State Senate election, losing both times to state senator and former state representative Chris Gorsek. Hwang accused incumbent Gorsek as using anti-immigrant language in a mailer sent to voters in 2018. In his 2020 state senate campaign, he was running to represent Oregon's 25th Senate district and focused on school funding for

Mt. Hood Community College Mt. Hood Community College (MHCC) is a public community college in Gresham, Oregon, United States, named after Mount Hood. Opened in 1966, MHCC enrolls around 30,000 students each year and offers classes at the main campus in Gresham, as well as ...

Oregon Republican Party

Hwang became the chair of the

in July 2022 after briefly serving as the vice chair since May 2022. His incumbency was preceded by several resignations from positions within the state party, including state senator Dallas Heard and former state senator and

Josephine County Josephine County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 88,090. The county seat is Grants Pass. The county is named after Virginia Josephine Rollins (1834–1912), a settler who was t ...

commissioner Herman Baertschiger, who resigned from the position in early 2022. As chair, Hwang had been critical of both Oregon governor

Kate Brown Katherine Brown (born June 21, 1960) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 38th governor of Oregon from 2015 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, she served three terms as the state representative from the 13th distr ...

and U.S. president

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

regarding the

2021–2023 inflation surge Following the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, a worldwide surge in inflation began in mid-2021 and lasted until mid-2022. Many countries saw their highest inflation rates in decades. It has been attributed to various causes, including pandemic-related ...

. Following the

Standoff at Eagle Pass Operation Lone Star (OLS) is a joint operation between the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Military Department along the Mexico–United States border in southern Texas. The operation started in 2021 and is ongoing. According to ...

, Hwang signed a letter in support of Texas Governor

Greg Abbott Gregory Wayne Abbott ( ; born November 13, 1957) is an American politician, attorney, and jurist who has served since 2015 as the 48th governor of Texas. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served from 2002 to ...

's decision in the conflict. Hwang declined to seek re-election and was replaced by Jerry Cummings.

Electoral history

References

External links

Campaign website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hwang, Justin 1984 births American politicians of Korean descent Asian conservatism in the United States Candidates in the 2018 United States elections Candidates in the 2020 United States elections Living people Oregon Republican Party chairs Portland, Oregon, Republicans South Korean emigrants to the United States Oregon politicians