Tony Hwang
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Tony Hwang (born September 17, 1964) is an American real estate agent and politician. A
Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
, he is a member of the
Connecticut State Senate The Connecticut State Senate is the upper house of the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The state senate comprises 36 members, each representing a district with around 99,280 inhabitants. Sena ...
, for the 28th District, which covers parts of
Fairfield County Fairfield County is the name of three counties in the United States: * Fairfield County, Connecticut * Fairfield County, Ohio * Fairfield County, South Carolina Fairfield County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of t ...
. Previously, Hwang as a member of the
Connecticut House of Representatives The Connecticut State House of Representatives is the lower house in the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The house is composed of 151 members representing an ...
for the 134th District in the
Connecticut General Assembly The Connecticut General Assembly (CGA) is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is a bicameral body composed of the 151-member House of Representatives and the 36-member Senate. It meets in the state capital, Hartford. Th ...
. Hwang became a state representative in 2008 and won re-election in 2010 and 2012. He was elected to the state Senate in 2014 and subsequently reelected. He is the assistant Senate Minority Leader.


Early life and education

Hwang was born in
Kaohsiung Kaohsiung City (Mandarin Chinese: ; Wade–Giles: ''Kao¹-hsiung²;'' Pinyin: ''Gāoxióng'') is a special municipality located in southern Taiwan. It ranges from the coastal urban center to the rural Yushan Range with an area of . Kaohsi ...
,
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
after his parents fled the Communist government in mainland China as teenagers and re-settled in Taiwan. The family immigrated to the United States when Hwang was approximately nine years old and settled in
Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, Onondaga County, New York, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in the state of New York following New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffa ...
.Tom Cleary
Hwang walks, talks -- and listens -- in re-election bid
''Fairfield Citizen'' (October 21, 2020).
Hwang received a bachelor's degree in Labor Relations and Organizational Behavior from
Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...
.Genevieve Reilly
Hwang, Dean face off for seat in 134th District
''Fairfield Citizen'' (October 20, 2012).


Political career


Elections

Hwang worked for
United Technologies United Technologies Corporation (UTC) was an American multinational conglomerate headquartered in Farmington, Connecticut. It researched, developed, and manufactured products in numerous areas, including aircraft engines, aerospace systems ...
before becoming a licensed realtor in Fairfield.Josh LaBella
Hwang wins race for state's 28th Senate District
''Fairfield Citizen'' (November 4, 2020).
He was a member of the Town of Fairfield
representative town meeting A representative town meeting, also called "limited town meeting", is a form of municipal legislature particularly common in Connecticut and Massachusetts, and permitted in Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire. Representative town meetings function ...
from 2003 to 2009 before being elected to the
Connecticut House of Representatives The Connecticut State House of Representatives is the lower house in the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The house is composed of 151 members representing an ...
from the 134th District. In 2014, Hwang won election to the Connecticut Senate from the 28th State Senate District, defeating the Democratic nominee, state Representative Kim Fawcett of the 133rd State House District. As of the 2021 Connecticut Redistricting Project, the district includes Fairfield, Easton, Newtown, and most of
Bethel Bethel ( he, בֵּית אֵל, translit=Bēṯ 'Ēl, "House of El" or "House of God",Bleeker and Widegren, 1988, p. 257. also transliterated ''Beth El'', ''Beth-El'', ''Beit El''; el, Βαιθήλ; la, Bethel) was an ancient Israelite sanct ...
Hwang was endorsed by State Senator John McKinney. McKinney vacated the Senate seat to run for governor, but subsequently lost in the Republican primary to
Thomas C. Foley Thomas Coleman Foley (born January 9, 1952) is an American politician and businessman. He served as the United States Ambassador to Ireland from 2006 to 2009 and was the unsuccessful Republican nominee for Governor of Connecticut in 2010 and 20 ...
. In 2016, Hwang received re-election endorsements from
Robert H. Steele Robert Hampton Steele (born November 3, 1938) is a retired American politician. Life Steele was born in Hartford, Connecticut. His father, known as Bob Steele, was host of the state's top rated morning show on WTIC-AM for more than fifty y ...
,
John Kasich John Richard Kasich Jr. ( ; born May 13, 1952) is an American politician, author, and television news host who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1983 to 2001 and as the 69th governor of Ohio from 2011 to 2019. A Republican, Kasic ...
, the Connecticut
League of Conservation Voters The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) is an American environmental advocacy group. LCV says that it "advocates for sound environmental laws and policies, holds elected officials accountable for their votes and actions, and elects pro-environmen ...
, and the
National Federation of Independent Business The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) is an association of small businesses in the United States. It is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, with offices in Washington, D.C., and all 50 state capitals. The goal of NFIB is to ad ...
. During the 2016 election, he retained his seat as state senator for the 28th district, winning with over 60% of the vote; and defeating Democratic nominee Philip Dwyer. In 2018, Hwang defeated Democratic nominee Michelle McCabe with 52% of the vote; in a rematch in 2020, Hwang defeated McCabe a second time with 51.7% of the vote. In 2022, Hwang will face off against Tim Gavin, a 28-year-old Yale graduate and Army Veteran who decided to run due to Hwang's stances on various forms of voting. At various points since 2013, Hwang has publicly considered running for statewide office,Neil Vigdor
The Place Mat King: Sen. Tony Hwang Spent $15K On Restaurant Ads
''Hartford Courant'' (May 11, 2018).
and in 2017 had an
exploratory committee In the election politics of the United States, an exploratory committee is an organization established to help determine whether a potential candidate should run for an elected office. They are most often cited in reference to candidates for pre ...
for governor.Genevieve Reilly
Fairfield state senator in hot water over copyrighted artwork on campaign signs
''CT Post'' (August 30, 2018).
Thus far, Hwang has opted not to run for statewide office.


Tenure and political positions

In 2019, the Connecticut
League of Conservation Voters The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) is an American environmental advocacy group. LCV says that it "advocates for sound environmental laws and policies, holds elected officials accountable for their votes and actions, and elects pro-environmen ...
gave Hwang a "lifetime score" of 88% and called him "a thoughtful voice on the environment and conservation," citing his advocacy for the
Long Island Sound Long Island Sound is a marine sound and tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. It lies predominantly between the U.S. state of Connecticut to the north and Long Island in New York to the south. From west to east, the sound stretches from the Eas ...
Blue Plan and State Water Plan. The group endorsed Hwang's campaign for the state Senate in 2014. In 2019, he supported a
plastic bag ban A plastic bag ban is a law that restricts the use of lightweight plastic bags at retail establishments. In the early 21st century, there has been a global trend towards the phase-out of lightweight plastic bags. Single-use plastic shopping bags, c ...
. The ''
Hartford Courant The ''Hartford Courant'' is the largest daily newspaper in the U.S. state of Connecticut, and is considered to be the oldest continuously published newspaper in the United States. A morning newspaper serving most of the state north of New Haven ...
'' described Hwang in 2019 as a moderate Republican.Daniela Altimarti
JT Lewis, brother of Sandy Hook victim Jesse Lewis, is running for state Senate
''Hartford Courant'' (July 15, 2019).
During the
2016 Republican Party presidential primaries Presidential primaries and caucuses of the Republican Party took place within all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and five U.S. territories between February 1 and June 7, 2016. These elections selected the 2,472 delegates that were se ...
, Hwang supported
John Kasich John Richard Kasich Jr. ( ; born May 13, 1952) is an American politician, author, and television news host who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1983 to 2001 and as the 69th governor of Ohio from 2011 to 2019. A Republican, Kasic ...
, and was named Connecticut state chairman of Kasich's campaign. He hosted campaign events with Kasich in the state. Hwang opposed
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
and condemned Trump's insults targeting women, minorities, immigrants, and persons with disabilities; Hwang said in October 2016: "Trump's comments are unacceptable under any circumstances. It perpetuates the potential cycle of violence. I can't say it strong enough that I condemn them. I have never supported him because of those comments." As of 2020, Hwang is the ranking member of the state Senate committees on housing, higher education, public safety and security, and transportation. Hwang was a member of the Legislative Environment Committee in 2011 and 2012. Hwang voted against a pro-
net neutrality Network neutrality, often referred to as net neutrality, is the principle that Internet service providers (ISPs) must treat all Internet communications equally, offering users and online content providers consistent rates irrespective of co ...
bill in 2018, arguing that the matter is a federal issue. Like most Connecticut Republican legislators, Hwang opposes the
legalization of marijuana The legality of cannabis for medical and recreational use varies by country, in terms of its possession, distribution, and cultivation, and (in regards to medical) how it can be consumed and what medical conditions it can be used for. These ...
; he opposed proposals in 2019 to legalize, tax, and regulate recreational
marijuana in Connecticut Cannabis in Connecticut is legal for recreational use since July 1, 2021. Medical use was legalized through legislation passed in 2012. Decriminalization (2011) In June 2011, Governor Dannel Malloy signed legislation that decriminalized cannabi ...
. He is an outspoken opponent of legalized gambling in Connecticut, and has opposed moves to allow additional casinos and other gambling businesses to operate in the state.


Controversies


Campaign spending and advertisement controversies

In 2014, the Connecticut State Elections Enforcement Commission investigated Hwang over an allegation of failure to disclose campaign purchases. The Commission authorized the investigation after reviewing complaints and submitted materials from Town of Fairfield's Democratic Town Committee. Hwang denied wrongdoing, and accused the Fairfield Democratic Town Committee as trying to distract the electorate. In 2016, the State Elections Enforcement Commission fined Hwang $400 for violation of rules on campaign contribution limits. Hwang spent $15,020 on advertising on place mats at a Connecticut restaurant chain. He purchased the ads with personal funds and was later reimbursed the cost by his political committee. Hwang initially did not disclose the reimbursement on his campaign disclosure filings. A local Democratic committee chairman filed an elections complaint against Hwang for the lapse in 2016. In December 2017, the state Elections Enforcement Commission ruled that the failure to disclosure was unintentional, and directed him to correct his filings. In January 2017, Hwang also reported spending $2,850 on " Wikipedia information management" services. In 2018, some of Hwang's campaign signs included copyrighted art from the nonprofit, nonpartisan organizations Hate Has No Home Here and Ben's Bells, without permission from the groups. After the use of the art was reported, Hwang issued an apology, said that the use was unintentional, and removed the signs and text at issue.


Public Argument With High School Girl

On Election Day in 2019, a high school student volunteer argued with Hwang at Fairfield's District 1 polling place about
socialism Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...
. The exchange eventually got heated and brought the student to tears, prompting a Facebook post from her mother that circulated on social media. Hwang later apologized to the student, citing he did not intend to hurt the students feelings, rather educate her on the topic.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hwang, Tony 1964 births Living people American people of Chinese descent American politicians of Taiwanese descent Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations alumni Republican Party members of the Connecticut House of Representatives Politicians from Kaohsiung Politicians from Syracuse, New York Taiwanese emigrants to the United States 21st-century American politicians Asian-American people in Connecticut politics Asian conservatism in the United States