Vang Breaks Down Barriers with District 40B Victory
Samantha Vang, the 24-year-old Democratic challenger to Republican Robert Marvin, has won Debra Hilstrom’s former seat in District 40B.
Vang’s victory is pioneering in several ways. She was the first in her family to graduate from college. She’s the first Hmong-American elected to her seat, and part of a record-breaking number of Hmong Americans poised to join Minnesota as lawmakers.
She told CCX reporter Eric Nelson that she plans to prioritize workforce development and affordable housing in her diverse district, 16 percent of which is comprised of Asian-Americans.
“We have what we call in our community a work skills gap,” Vang said, explaining that she’d like to implement better training opportunities and foster small, local businesses.
“I’ve done the hard work to make sure I’ve heard every single issue that our community is concerned about,” she said.
Her opponent, Robert Marvin, is an engineer whose campaign focused on what he called “efficient government,” including tax reduction and eliminating regulation on small businesses.
