Anh Cao defeated William J. Jefferson in an election held over the weekend, making Mr. Cao the first Vietnamese American to be elected to Congress. Local citizens were stunned as Mr. Jefferson was a nine-term incumbent, and a stalwart of the city's political machine. The New York Times reports that Mr. Jefferson is facing ethical charges, including "money laundering and bribery after the Federal Bureau of Investigation found $90,000 in his freezer."
Mr. Cao, in the other hand, had studied to become a Jesuit priest, working in refugee camps in Hong Kong and Mexico. Sights of children in slums and in prison strengthened his commitment to social justice and change.
Mr. Cao, a recent convert to the Republican party, immigrated to the U.S. from Vietnam in 1975.
Comments