Bee Nguyen
Bee Nguyen (born July 18, 1981) is an American non-profit executive and politician serving as a member of the Georgia House of Representatives from the 89th district. A member of the Democratic Party, she was elected during a special election in December 2017 to fill the seat vacated following Stacey Abrams' resignation in August 2017 to focus on her run for governor. Nguyen is the first Vietnamese-American elected to the Georgia House of Representatives.[1]
Bee Nguyen | |
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Member of the Georgia House of Representatives from the 89th district | |
Assumed office December 15, 2017 | |
Preceded by | Stacey Abrams |
Personal details | |
Born | Ames, Iowa, U.S. | July 18, 1981
Political party | Democratic |
Education | Georgia State University (MPA) |
Website | Campaign website |
Early life and education
Born in Ames, Iowa, Nguyen grew up in Augusta, Georgia,[2] and attended Georgia State University.[3] She moved to Atlanta in 1999.[2]
Career
She was previously the executive director of a non-profit organization[4] she founded, Athena Warehouse, a program to educate and empower girls in under-resourced communities. She is currently National Policy Advisor for New American Leaders.[5] In November 2018, BizJournals included her on a list of 40 under 40s.[6] Nguyen described her charitable work as helping to "focus her desire to reduce economic disparity".[2]
Elections
Following Abrams' resignation from the state legislature, four candidates announced efforts to succeed her.[2]
In addition to being the first Vietnamese-American to win election to the Georgia House,[1] Nguyen became the first Asian-American Democratic woman to hold a state office in Georgia.[2]
In June 2020, Nguyen was reported to have won the Democratic nomination for reelection to her seat by a wide margin.[7]
Tenure
Nguyen opposed the Election Integrity Act of 2021.[8]
2022 Georgia Secretary of State election
On May 4, 2021, Nguyen declared her candidacy for Georgia Secretary of State in the 2022 election.[9] In February of 2022, Nguyen announced that she had raised over $1 million in her campaign. [10]
References
- "Georgia House runoff won by Bee Nguyen over Sachin Varghese". ajc.com. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
- Maya T. Prabhu, "Diverse array of candidates seeks Abrams' old House seat", The Atlanta Constitution (October 16, 2017), p. B4.
- "The Voter's Self Defense System - Vote Smart". Justfacts.votesmart.org. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
- "Georgia General Assembly". www.legis.ga.gov.
- "Atlanta Heydays profile: Meet Atlanta Bee Nguyen". Buckhead, GA Patch. January 6, 2013.
- "40 Under Forty: Georgia House of Representatives' Bee Nguyen". www.bizjournals.com. November 9, 2018. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
- "Georgia Statewide Results", The Atlanta Constitution (June 12, 2020), p. A8.
- "State Representative on Georgia's new election laws". MSNBC.
- Fausset, Richard (May 4, 2021). "Bee Nguyen, Georgia Democrat, Enters Race for Secretary of State". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- Murphy, Patricia; Bluestein, Greg; Mitchell, Tia. "The Jolt: Transgender sports ban introduced with high-powered support". Political Insider (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution). Retrieved February 3, 2022.