Ling Ling Chang (born July 24, 1976) is an American
politician
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...
who formerly served in the
California State Senate
The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature, the lower house being the California State Assembly. The State Senate convenes, along with the State Assembly, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento, Cal ...
, representing the
29th district, encompassing parts of
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
,
Orange, and
San Bernardino counties. Prior to being elected to the state Senate, she was a
Diamond Bar City Council
A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...
woman and a
state Assemblywoman for the
55th district. Chang is a
Republican.
In 2016, Chang was a candidate for
California's 29th State Senate district, losing the general election very narrowly to Democrat
Josh Newman
Joshua Paul Newman (born June 11, 1982) is an American former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. He played parts of and for the Colorado Rockies and Kansas City Royals.
Biography
A native of Wheelersburg, Ohio, Newman played college baseba ...
. After Newman was recalled by voters in 2018, Chang won a plurality of votes
on the recall ballot and became the state Senator for California's 29th district. Chang narrowly lost re-election to Josh Newman in the
2020 election.
Early life and education
Born in
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
, Chang and her family emigrated to the United States when she was three years old.
She was raised in
Diamond Bar and graduated from
Diamond Bar High School
Diamond Bar High School (DBHS) is a public high school located in Diamond Bar, California, as part of the Walnut Valley Unified School District.
Diamond Bar High School's mascot is the Brahma, and the school colors are purple and gold. Diamond Ba ...
. She studied biology at
UC Riverside but did not graduate.
[ She was criticized during her 2014 campaign for claims that she attended ]Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
when she was in fact taking online classes through Harvard Extension School
Harvard Extension School (HES) is the extension school of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school is one among 12 schools that grant degrees and falls under the Division of Continuing Education in the Harvard Faculty of Arts ...
, the university's online extension program which is open to the general public.
Career
Chang worked at Strategy Insights Group. In 2005, she was elected to the Walnut Valley Water District Board and was then elected twice to the Diamond Bar City Council
A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...
.
California State Assembly
Chang was elected to the California Assembly in the 55th district in 2014 and had five bills signed into law in her first seven months in office.[ She also proposed bills seeking to cut business regulations.]
2016 State Senate run
Chang was the Republican candidate for California's 29th State Senate district in the 2016 election. She ran against two Democrats, former Irvine Irvine may refer to:
Places On Earth Antarctica
*Irvine Glacier
*Mount Irvine (Antarctica)
Australia
*Irvine Island
*Mount Irvine, New South Wales
Canada
*Irvine, Alberta
* Irvine Inlet, Nunavut
United Kingdom
*Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotla ...
Mayor Sukhee Kang and veteran Josh Newman to succeed Bob Huff in 2016 due to term limits.
As of October 2016, Chang had raised more than $4 million.[ She made public comments distancing herself from Republican presidential nominee ]Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
. In November 2016, with 49.6% of the vote, Chang lost the general election to Democrat Josh Newman
Joshua Paul Newman (born June 11, 1982) is an American former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. He played parts of and for the Colorado Rockies and Kansas City Royals.
Biography
A native of Wheelersburg, Ohio, Newman played college baseba ...
.
2018 State Senate special recall election
On June 5, 2018, Chang won a recall election for the same State Senate seat that she had lost to Josh Newman two years earlier. Newman was targeted for recall by the Republican Party of California in an attempt to break the Democratic super majority in the Senate, though the campaign also emphasized Newman's vote to increase gas and vehicle taxes to fund infrastructure improvements.
2020 State Senate election
In 2020 Chang lost the election to serve a full term in the State Senate. She lost the 2020 rematch to Josh Newman by a margin about three times larger than she had lost in 2016.
Personal life
Chang is married to Andrew Wong, an attorney.[
]
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chang, Ling Ling
American politicians of Taiwanese descent
American women of Taiwanese descent in politics
Asian American and Pacific Islander state legislators in California
California politicians of Chinese descent
Republican Party California state senators
Republican Party members of the California State Assembly
Living people
Taiwanese emigrants to the United States
1976 births
21st-century American politicians
21st-century American women politicians
Women state legislators in California
Harvard Extension School alumni
Asian conservatism in the United States