vote 2020

25-year-old Alex Lee is California's youngest, 1st openly bisexual state legislator

ByDustin Dorsey and Kayla Galloway KGO logo

Saturday, November 7, 2020

25-year-old San Jose native now CA's youngest state legislator

History was made Tuesday in Santa Clara County where South Bay voters elected the youngest state legislator in eight decades.

SAN FRANCISCO -- History was made Tuesday in Santa Clara County where South Bay voters elected the youngest state legislator in eight decades. Democrat Alex Lee, 25, won the 25th District Assembly race and will also become California's first openly bisexual state lawmaker.

"I have the distinction and responsibility to be a lot of firsts in California," Lee said. "I'm the first openly bisexual state legislator in California, the youngest Asian-American state legislator and first Gen-Z state legislator. That is an immense responsibility to make sure that more young people and more progressives are elected after me to break and shatter those records."

Lee, a candidate endorsed by Senator Bernie Sanders, won Tuesday's vote by a landslide, receiving more than 72 percent of the vote, while his competitor, Republican Bob Brunton, took home just under 28 percent.

The 25th Assembly District is comprised of several South Bay cities, including San Jose, Fremont and Santa Clara.

Lee grew up in Milpitas and San Jose, graduated from Milpitas High School and later, from UC Davis, where he studied communications and political science and served as student body president.

He interned for former Congressman Mike Honda, and later worked for State Senator Henry Stern, according to Lee's campaign website.

He then went on to work for Assemblyman Evan Low, who, at the time of his election, was the youngest Asian American legislator in the Assembly.

Working behind the scenes, Lee said he learned the immense potential for good the state legislator has and now has the chance to be that change with his district of San Jose, Fremont and Santa Clara in mind.

"I am homegrown in this community," Lee said. "It's the honor of my life to be able to represent my home district. I grew up here and basically lived here my whole life and I'm going to be thinking of them, my friends, family, community members and all the great people I've met on this campaign when I'm making decisions up in the State Capital."

ABC7 spoke to Lee back in June during a protest following the death of George Floyd.

He was arrested after San Jose enforced a city-wide curfew during the civil unrest.

At the time, Lee said the city's curfew was a way to suppress freedom of expression.

"We were trying to explain what we were doing, we weren't doing anything wrong," he said in June. "But, they wouldn't have it, they said, 'there are no exceptions, you are being arrested.'"

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