Episode 39:  Alex Lee (@alex_lee) just made history by becoming California’s first Gen Z, first openly bisexual and youngest Asian American lawmaker -- all at the age of 25.  While Alex claims he had just been an average student, he definitely isn’t your average politician. He’s about half the typical age of his colleagues, he lives at home with his parents, and in order to make it through his campaign, he had been a part-time gig worker for an app delivery company. 

When it comes to Asian representation, he’s taking it to the next level. He now politically represents one of the most heavily Asian districts in California.  In this episode, he shares how he turned his weaknesses into his strengths, how he won a campaign as an underdog, and what his job actually entails. 

Show Notes:

--No Expletives--

00:00 - Introduction

2:30 - What is the District Assembly?

5:28 - State budgets and how they fluctuate during a recession

8:20 - Speaking to the importance of interpersonal skills and other interesting quirks about the political world

10:17 - Alex's early background before becoming elected. Deciding between film and politics in college, and what he likes about Californian politics in particular

15:28 - Discussing differences between political theory and how people vote in practice. How the assumptions of perfect information and rationality don't always hold up

18:00 - Discussing The Great Hack and the importance of privacy and data in our society

21:25 - Being one of the youngest assembly members ever, and how he can effectively navigate tech and privacy as a member of a newer generation

26:35 - Talking about the difficulties of the campaigning process, and why Alex thought people voted for him

30:30 - How has the job been within or not within Alex's expectations. Navigating the difficulties of short two year terms

32:30 - More about Alex's personal background--growing up in San Jose, California, having Hongkonger parents, and earning very average grades

34:50 - The importance of the desire to make a difference when getting into politics

36:25 - The difficulty of the primary election, where Alex faced ageism and Asian stereotypes

37:42 - Trying to turn weaknesses into strengths while campaigning. Using perceived disadvantages and spinning them into potential advantages 

40:02 - Valuing integrity when entering politics. There are too many people who go into politics for superficial reasons and not because they wish to fix something in their community.

41:00 - Addressing special interest donors and election buyouts and its harmful impact on democracy

47:00 - Alex's hobbies and bucket list items--to become an elected official to become a parent

48:50 - The most important thing is to remember your community and that your success doesn't exist in isolation, and there are many ways to give back.

51:50 - How to get in touch with Alex!

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