State Rep. William Tong, D-Stamford has again turned to a prominent member of the Asian-American community to help boost his campaign for the party’s U.S. Senate nomination.
Tong, the first Asian-American elected to the Connecticut General Assembly, has touted endorsements from ex-U.S. Secretary of Commerce/Transportation Norman Mineta and San Fransico Mayor Ed Lee.
Today the campaign sent out a fundraising email trying to capitalize on the popularity of Jeremy Lin, the New York Knicks basketball star who, like Tong, is the successful son of Chinese immigrants.
“He’s living the American Dream,” Tong wrote. “Lots of people across Connecticut feel like underdogs in this economy. Too many people feel like the American Dream is out of reach. My campaign is about Reclaiming the American Dream – making the fight fair again.”
No mention of a Lin endorsement, however.
Tong’s approach caught the attention today of Politico and Huffington Post.
The candidate needs to find creative ways to increase his donations when he is lagging behind both his major competitors for the Senate nomination – U.S. Rep Chris Murphy and ex-Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz.
As Tong notes in his email, Lin’s finally arrived after “a decade of hard work and confidence against the odds.”
Some Democrats say Tong’s a star, too, but with Murphy and Bysiewicz in the race, not this year.
