Bee Nguyen
Bee Nguyen | |
---|---|
Member of the Georgia House of Representatives from the 89th district | |
In office December 15, 2017 – January 9, 2023 | |
Preceded by | Stacey Abrams |
Succeeded by | Saira Draper (Redistricting) |
Personal details | |
Born | Ames, Iowa, U.S. | July 18, 1981
Political party | Democratic |
Education | Georgia State University (BA, MA, MPA) |
Website | Campaign website |
Bee Nguyen (born July 18, 1981) is an American nonprofit executive and politician who served as a member of the Georgia House of Representatives from the 89th District from 2017 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, she was elected during a special election in December 2017 to fill the seat vacated following Stacey Abrams's resignation in August 2017 to focus on her run for governor. Nguyen is the first Vietnamese-American elected to the Georgia House of Representatives.
Early life and education
Nguyen's parents fled Vietnam by boat, settling in Iowa in 1979.[1][2] Born in Ames, Iowa, Nguyen grew up in Augusta, Georgia,[3] and attended Georgia State University for her bachelor's and master's in English literature and an MPA in finance and management.[4][5] She moved to Atlanta in 1999.[3]
Career
Nguyen was previously the executive director of a nonprofit organization[6] she founded, Athena Warehouse, a program to educate and empower girls in under-resourced communities. She is currently National Policy Advisor for New American Leaders.[7] In November 2018, BizJournals included her on a list of 40 under 40s.[8] Nguyen described her charitable work as helping to "focus her desire to reduce economic disparity".[3]
Georgia Legislature
Elections
After Abrams resigned from the state legislature, four candidates announced efforts to succeed her.[3]
In addition to being the first Vietnamese-American to win election to the Georgia House,[9] Nguyen became the first Asian-American Democratic woman to hold a state office in Georgia.[3]
In June 2020, Nguyen won the Democratic nomination for reelection to her seat by a wide margin.[10]
Tenure
Nguyen opposed the Election Integrity Act of 2021.[11]
2022 Georgia Secretary of State election
Main article: 2022 Georgia Secretary of State election |
On May 4, 2021, Nguyen declared her candidacy for Georgia Secretary of State in the 2022 election.[12] In February 2022, she announced that she had raised over $1 million in her campaign.[13] Nguyen received 44% of the vote, and advanced to a runoff election against Dee Dawkins-Haigler, who received 19% of the vote.[14] Nguyen defeated Dawkins-Haigler in the runoff.[15] She lost to the incumbent, Brad Raffensperger, in the November 8 general election.[16]
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