Judy Chu

The district has the second highest percentage of Asian Americans in the state with 37%, behind the newly redrawn 17th CD which is 50% Asian.

Registered Democrats make up 42% of the district.

Judy May Chu (born July 7, 1953) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for CA's 28th congressional district.

Chu was born in 1953 in Los Angeles.

Her father, Judson Chu, was a Chinese American World War II veteran born in California, and her mother, May, was a war bride originally from Jiangmen, Guangdong.

Chu grew up in South Los Angeles, near 62nd Street and Normandie Avenue, until her early teen years, when the family moved to the Bay Area.

In 1974, Chu earned a B.A. degree in mathematics from UCLA.

In 1979, she earned a Ph.D. degree in psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology of Alliant International University's Los Angeles campus.

Chu taught psychology in the Los Angeles Community College District for 20 years, including 13 years at East Los Angeles College.

Chu's first elected position was as a member of the Garvey School Board in Rosemead, California in 1985.

In 1988, Chu was elected to the Monterey Park City Council.

In 1989, she became Mayor of Monterey Park and served until 1994.

Chu was mayor for three terms.

Chu ran for the California State Assembly in 1994, but lost the Democratic primary to Diane Martinez; in 1998, she lost the primary to Gloria Romero.

Chu was elected to the State Assembly on May 15, 2001, following a special election after Romero was elected to the State Senate.

She was elected to a full term in 2002 and reelected in 2004.

The district includes Alhambra, El Monte, Duarte, Monterey Park, Rosemead, San Gabriel, San Marino, and South El Monte, within Los Angeles County.

Barred by term limits from running for a third term in 2006, Chu was elected to the State Board of Equalization from the 4th district, representing most of Los Angeles County.

Chu was elected to the California Board of Equalization in 2007, representing the 4th district.

She previously served on the Garvey Unified School District Board of Education, on the Monterey Park City Council (with three terms as mayor) and in the California State Assembly.

Obama won the district with 63% in the 2008 presidential election.

A member of the Democratic Party, she has held a seat in Congress since 2009, representing CA's 32nd congressional district until redistricting.

Chu is the first Chinese American woman elected to Congress.

Chu ran in the 32nd congressional district special election for the seat vacated by Hilda Solis after Solis was confirmed as President Obama's Secretary of Labor in 2009.

She defeated Republican candidate Betty Tom Chu and Libertarian candidate Christopher Agrella in a runoff election on July 14, 2009.

Chu decided to run for the 2009 special election for the California's 32nd congressional district after U.S. Representative Hilda Solis was appointed to become President Barack Obama's United States Secretary of Labor.

Chu led the field in the May 19 special election, but due to the crowded field (eight Democrats and four Republicans) she only got 32% of the vote, well short of the 50% needed to win outright.

In the runoff election, she defeated Republican Betty Chu (her cousin-in-law and a Monterey Park City Councilwoman) 62%–33%.

Chu was heavily favored due to the district's heavy Democrat tilt.

With a Cook Partisan Voting Index of D+15, it is one of the safest Democratic districts in the nation.

She was reelected to her first full term with 71% of the vote.

Jerry Brown won with 55% in the 2010 gubernatorial election.

Chu was reelected, defeating Republican Jack Orswell 64% to 36%.

Chu was reelected over Orswell, 59.4% to 40.6%.

Chu was reelected over Orswell, 67.4% to 32.6%.

Chu won reelection over fellow Democrat Bryan Witt by a 79.2% to 20.8% margin, in one of a handful of districts in California that featured only Democrats on its midterm ballot.

Chu won reelection to her seventh term over Republican Johnny J. Nalbandian by a 69.8% to 30.2% margin.

Nalbandian never conceded the race, citing unproven voter fraud.

In August 2011, Chu decided to run in the newly redrawn California's 27th congressional district.

Chu was redistricted to the 27th district in 2012, but still reelected to a third term, defeating Republican challenger Jack Orswell.