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On Tuesday, Yuh-Line Niou clinched the Democratic nomination to represent lower Manhattan in the State Assembly. The 65th Assembly District—which includes Chinatown, the Lower East Side, the Financial District, and Battery Park City—is largely Democratic, and Niou is expected to handily win the general election on November 8.
Niou (her full name is pronounced “you-lean nee-oh”) is an unconventional candidate for what is certainly an unconventional race. With 32 percent of the vote, she fended off five other candidates, including the incumbent, Alice Cancel. In April, Cancel had beat Niou in a special election to fill the seat held by former speaker of the Assembly Sheldon Silver, after Silver was forced out of office last November following a conviction on federal corruption charges.
The 33-year-old is now poised to become the first Asian-American to represent the district (which is today more than 40 percent Asian), as well as the first Asian-American to represent Chinatown or any part of Manhattan in the state legislature.
Niou was born in Taiwan and lived in Idaho and Texas before attending The Evergreen State College in Washington. She worked as an aide to Washington state lawmakers before moving to New York in 2010 to get her master’s in public administration at Baruch. She then served as the chief of staff for Flushing Assembly member Ron Kim, New York’s first Korean-American elected official, commuting from the Financial District, where she lives with her fiancé.
But running for office had never crossed her mind—until community members and state politicos approached her following Silver’s ouster. “I was tapped,” she said. “They said, ‘You live in the district, you know how Albany and constituent services works.’” At Kim’s office, her team helped up to 60 constituents a day—more than any other member, she says. If elected, she and Kim would be the only two Asian-Americans in the State Assembly.
Niou, an ebullient conversationalist who speaks between torrents of roaring laughter, is refreshingly candid and relentlessly upbeat. She spoke with Vogue.com about her time working the bar at the beloved since-shuttered Chinatown karaoke spot Winnie’s, allegations that she voted for the first time only three years ago, and the worst insults flung her way on the campaign trail.
Before campaigning, what was your experience with this district?
Bartending! On the corner of Bayard and Baxter at Winnie’s. In Seattle, I was a karaoke hostess for a place called Bush Garden—it’s infamous. So I felt at home at Winnie’s. It was a neighborhood spot, so a lot of the folks that I saw daily, I still see them daily now, just in different capacities. You learn how to relate to the folks you’re serving. It’s service in different ways.
What are some of the biggest issues facing your district right now?
Affordability is number one. Our district is incredibly expensive. Also ethics reform is a huge issue. We are at the ground zero of corruption. We have to fight for campaign finance reform, closing the LLC loophole, making sure we have limits on outside income of legislators. And, of course, resiliency: We are the district that was hit hardest by 9/11 and Hurricane Sandy.
Do you see this win as a sign of the changing demographics of the district?
Right now, Albany is not very reflective of the demographics as a whole. [Asian-Americans] have 14 percent of the state’s population and less than 1 percent of the representation. [Asian-Americans make up 9 percent of New York’s population, according to a 2016 report by the state comptroller.] So I don’t think it’s about population growth. It’s reflective of our district wanting change. I didn’t win because I’m an Asian candidate. I think I won because I’m the best candidate for the district.
This year has seen your first two runs for office. What have you learned about campaigning?
I’ve learned I can lose 20 pounds in six months, door knocking. [Laughs] And when I lose weight, it’s all in my boobs—it’s really tragic.
One of the hardest things was being a woman, and then a woman of color, and then a young woman of color. When you’re putting yourself in the public eye, people feel like they have the right to say anything about you, to you. People will ask, ‘Will you, as an Asian-American, represent all of us?’ I don’t think a white candidate ever gets asked that. And because I’m a woman, people will say: Your hair’s too long, too short; your skirt’s too long, too short; your heels are too high; you don’t wear heels enough. And a lot of people will say I’m too young, which is ridiculous, because many men have run and been younger than me. Including, in fact, Sheldon Silver.
Then, of course, the racist comments: We don’t want your kind here. You don’t represent me. I had people yelling at my dad and my mom, saying go back to where you come from.
What do you think of your rival’s claims that you parachuted into the district?
Being younger doesn’t make me any less of a New Yorker. It depends on what you’ve done for your district, not how long you’ve lived somewhere. I reflect the district a lot more than she did. [Cancel, an immigrant from Puerto Rico, has lived in Lower Manhattan for 40 years.] This district is a district of immigrants, of young families moving in, and also of people who want transparency and access to government. They don’t want to see the same people making decisions behind closed doors.
Before the April special election, a rival accused you of failing to meet the state’s five-year residency requirement. They also claimed that records showed the first election you voted in was in 2013, at age 30.
It’s so silly. My name is so difficult alone. I have a dash in my name and have had to correct my voter registration many times. This is something very common for immigrants.
Who are your role models?
My mom. She was a nurse and put my dad through school. “Uncle Bob” Santos in Washington state, who just passed away, taught me how to coalition build. His wife, Sharon Tomiko Santos, was one of the first Asian-American women elected to office in the nation. For my first interview, she pulled clothes out of her own closet to make sure I was dressed properly.
What’s your favorite place to eat in your district?
I love Vintry on Stone Street. It’s close to my house, and I go there all the time. The atmosphere and food are always on point.
I read that you are engaged but your wedding was delayed because of the campaigns. How is the planning going?
It’s not [laughs]. It’s weird, every single paper has asked me that! He and I have known each other since we were 10 years old, so it just doesn’t feel that significant to me.
This interview has been edited and condensed.