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Lieutenant Commander Jay Chen issued the following statement, following a hard fought Congressional campaign in California’s 45th District against incumbent Michelle Steel. The attacks on Chen, a United States Naval Officer, were widely condemned, with CNN calling one ad “perhaps the most dishonest TV campaign ad” they had ever seen.
“I am grateful to my supporters in California’s 45th congressional district for this opportunity to serve them and our country,” said Lieutenant Commander Jay Chen. “We always knew that this would be an uphill battle given the stakes, and the amount of special interest money spent against us. I could not be more proud of the organizers, volunteers, and community groups that came together to fight for this worthy cause.
While Michelle Steel won this election, the attacks on my patriotism because of my Asian heritage were unbecoming of a United States Representative.
I ran my campaign on the issues of lowering costs for working families, protecting a woman’s right to choose, and passing common sense legislation to end the scourge of gun violence. My opponent refused to debate me, refused to hold town halls, refused on-camera interviews with news media, and ran a campaign of fear and division to hide her voting record.
While this race has ended, my work to ensure that California’s 45th Congressional district has a representative that will fight for working families continues.”
