Fue Lee

Fue Lee (born 1991)[1] is an American community organizer, activist, and politician from Minneapolis, Minnesota.[2] He represents District 59A in the Minnesota House of Representatives.[3] Elected in 2016, Lee is the first person of color and of Asian descent to represent that district.[4] He is the fourth Hmong American elected to a state legislature. In 2018, he was reelected and became Assistant Majority Leader, making him the highest-ranking official of Hmong descent.[5]

Fue Lee
Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
from the 59A district
Assumed office
January 3, 2017
Preceded byJoe Mullery
Personal details
Political partyMinnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party
Alma materCarleton College
Occupationcommunity organizer

Lee was born in a refugee camp in Thailand to Hmong parents from Laos, and came to Minneapolis as a toddler in 1992.[6] He is a graduate of Carleton College, and was an employee in the office of the Minnesota Secretary of State.[2][7] He co-founded the Asian American Organizing Project and Progressive Hmong American Organizers with former state Senator Mee Moua, DFL activist Yee Chang, and state Representative Jay Xiong; and has previously worked under then-Representative Steve Simon, Representative John Lesch, and then-U.S Representative Keith Ellison.[1]

Community leaders encouraged Lee to run into the primaries after losing the DFL endorsement during the first round of voting by one delegate.[7] According to Lee, "One of the reasons I decided to run for office is because candidates that were supposed to represent all of the city and its communities weren’t doing their job. I want to be able to respect my community by understanding the issues we’re facing on a daily basis."[8]

On August 9, 2016, Lee unseated 20-year incumbent Joe Mullery, who was backed by the DFL political establishment, including Ellison, State Senator Foung Hawj, and Governor Mark Dayton.[9] He won the primary with 55.5% of the vote to Mullery's 44.5%.[10] His Republican opponent in the November 8 election was Jessica Newville.[11] Lee was elected with 81.3% of the vote.[12]

References
  1. Tevlin, Jon (November 8, 2016). "From Rep.-elect Fue Lee, a lesson in what democracy looks like". Minneapolis Star Tribune. Retrieved November 8, 2016.
  2. Jurewitsch, Andreas (August 1, 2016). "In Their Own Words: Fue Lee, Candidate for Minnesota House District 59A, North Minneapolis". Hmong Pages. 7 (8 ed.).
  3. FOX. "Fue Lee wins DFL nomination in District 59A". KMSP. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  4. Rupar, Aaron (August 11, 2016). "From Refugee Camps To The Statehouse: Two Groundbreaking Primary Victories In Minnesota". ThinkProgress. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  5. "Rep. Fue Lee (59A) - Minnesota House of Representatives". www.house.leg.state.mn.us. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  6. "Neighbors for Fue Lee". fuelee.org. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
  7. "What Fue Lee's victory says about the political power of Hmong-Americans in Minneapolis". MinnPost. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  8. Hutchins, Marcelle (November 10, 2016). "These elected officials are among the few who were born outside the US". KERA (FM). Dallas. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
  9. "Fue Lee to run for Minnesota House Seat 59A". Asian American Press. February 6, 2016. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  10. "Results for State Representative District 59A". Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon. August 11, 2016. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
  11. "A New Voice for North Minneapolis". Jessica Newville Minnesota House District 59A. 2016. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
  12. "Minnesota District 59A State House Results: Fue Lee Wins". New York Times. November 10, 2016. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
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