Why Asian Americans Need Julie Won in the U.S. Congress: Nepalism Endorses Her Ambition

Our Voices Deserve a Seat at the Table

Updated: Exclusive: Nepalism endorses Ms. Julie Won for New York's 7th Congressional District. Asian Americans are the fastest-growing major racial group in the United States — nearly 25 million strong, representing 7.2% to 7.7% of the total population. Yet in the halls of Congress, we hold just 4.4% of all seats. In the House of Representatives, only 21 members claim Asian, South Asian, or Pacific Islander heritage. In the Senate, just three. The math is painfully simple: we are underrepresented, and Washington's decisions — on healthcare, housing, immigration, and the economy — are being made without enough of our voices in the room. That is why Nepalism proudly endorses Council Member Julie Won for New York's 7th Congressional District. She is not just a candidate. She is a turning point.

A Community That Is Too Big to Be Overlooked

The Asian American community is one of the most diverse and dynamic in the nation. The six largest origin groups — Chinese (22%), Asian Indian (21%), Filipino (19%), Vietnamese (9%), Korean (8%), and Japanese (7%) — together represent 86% of the U.S. Asian population. Millions more trace roots across Southeast and South Asia, including the Nepali diaspora that Nepalism proudly serves.

We are concentrated in the cities where power is shaped and policy is tested — California (6 million), New York (1.9 million), Texas (1.5 million), and New Jersey (950,000). We are building businesses, raising families, paying taxes, and voting. And we deserve champions in Congress who understand what that life looks like from the inside — not from a distance.

Ms. Julie Won lives that life. She is that champion.

A History-Maker Ready to Make More History

Ms. Julie Jaehee Won was born in South Korea on April 17, 1990. When she was just eight years old, her family immigrated to New York City following the devastating 1997 financial crisis. Her mother — once a culinary professor — became a nail technician. Her father worked in local small businesses. Theirs was the quintessential immigrant story: sacrifice, resilience, and an unwavering belief in what hard work could build in America.

Ms. Julie did not forget where she came from. She attended New York public schools, earned her degree from Syracuse University's Maxwell School, and spent a decade at IBM advising the federal government on technology modernization. In 2021, she channeled that experience into public service — winning a 15-way Democratic primary to represent New York City Council's 26th District, covering the western Queens neighborhoods of Long Island City, Sunnyside, Astoria, and Woodside.

With that victory, she made history: the first woman, first immigrant, and first Korean American ever to represent District 26.

Now, with Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez announcing her retirement from New York's 7th Congressional District — which spans parts of Brooklyn and Queens — Julie Won has announced her candidacy for the seat. Endorsed by State Senator John C. Liu, Assemblymember Ron Kim, and Shantel Thomas-Henry, she is stepping forward at exactly the right moment.

Nepalism believes she is ready to make history again — and to take our communities with her.

A Record That Speaks for Itself

Ms. Julie Won does not campaign on promises. She campaigns on proof.

In just four years as a City Council Member, she has:

• Delivered over $2 billion in community investments through the landmark OneLIC Neighborhood Plan — the largest rezoning in New York City in 25 years

• Approved 18,805 new housing units, including thousands of permanently affordable homes

• Secured over $100 million for public education, working directly with parents, teachers, and administrators across every school in her district

• Passed 13 bills covering government transparency, immigrant protections, and workers' rights

• Launched WiFi For All, delivering free internet access to NYCHA residents — a promise made and kept within months of taking office

• Welcomed over 15,000 asylum seekers into her district — more than any other district in New York City — and met them with welcome dinners, resource fairs, and protective legislation to shield migrant shelter locations from those who would target them

  
  

She chairs the Committee on Workforce Development and sits on committees covering Public Housing, Technology, Transportation and Infrastructure, Contracts, Hate Crimes, and Early Childhood Education. These are not peripheral assignments — they are the policy areas that define daily life for working-class Asian American families across the district and the country.

Fighting for a Lifetime of Care

Ms. Julie Won is running for Congress on a platform she calls "A Lifetime of Care" — a vision rooted in her own experience as a mother of two toddlers who also cares for her aging parents. She knows, firsthand, the weight of being a multigenerational family in a city that was not always built with you in mind.

Her congressional agenda reflects that lived reality:

• Universal paid family and medical leave

• Affordable, accessible childcare

• Healthcare for all

• A care economy that finally values the workers — disproportionately women, disproportionately immigrants, disproportionately Asian American — who make all other work possible

For the Nepali American community and Asian Americans broadly, these are not abstract policy priorities. They are the difference between a family that can breathe and a family that is barely surviving.

Why This Race Matters for All of Us

The 7th Congressional District race is already competitive. Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso has earned the endorsement of retiring Congresswoman Velázquez. Assembly Member Claire Valdez, endorsed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the NYC Democratic Socialists of America, brings strong progressive support. The race is being closely watched as a test of where New York's Democratic coalition is heading.

But Ms. Julie Won offers something neither opponent can: the lived experience of an immigrant Asian American woman who has already delivered results at scale, who speaks to and for communities that have long been organizing without a seat at the congressional table.

The Asian American community in New York — Korean, South Asian, Southeast Asian, Nepali, Chinese, Filipino — deserves a representative who does not just know our zip codes, but knows our stories.

Nepalism's Endorsement: A Call to Action

We, Asian Americans, are 25 million people. We are the fastest-growing group in this country. We are entrepreneurs and caregivers, engineers and elders, students and citizens. And we are done being an afterthought in Washington.

Ms. Julie Won is the leader who can carry our voices to the U.S. House of Representatives. She has proven she can win against the odds. She has proven she can govern with integrity and deliver results. And she has proven that she will not leave her community behind when the cameras turn away.

Nepalism endorses Ms. Julie Won for New York's 7th Congressional District. We urge every Asian American — Nepali, Korean, South Asian, and beyond — to learn about her campaign, support her candidacy, and vote.

You can support her via her official campaign website: https://www.juliewon.com

Our representation is not a request. It is long overdue.

Nepalism.com is an independent media platform serving the Nepali American diaspora and broader South Asian community in the United States.