John,
Late last week, I joined our local Fox News affiliate in Los Angeles to talk about my race here in CA-45. They also invited Michelle Steel, but she refused to attend. This is now the third time she’s ignored a request to answer questions in a public forum.
One topic that came up was Steel’s smear campaign trying to paint me as un-American. So I brought this medal to show her and the viewers.
I was given this medal following my service leading an intelligence team in the fight against ISIS in the Middle East. Of all the soldiers, sailors, and marines that served with me — not a single one ever questioned my loyalty to this country.
I was hoping to tell Steel face-to-face that the only opinions I care about are theirs.
Truth be told, this isn’t the first time I’ve dealt with racism, and I know there are young people in my community who often feel confused and out of place when they see anti-Asian attacks like Steel’s in mailboxes and on the airwaves.
To those young people, I say don’t ever let anyone make you feel like you don’t belong or are un-American. And to everyone else watching this race, I hope this campaign has been a wake-up call that we still have work to do in the county.
In eight days, ballots will be counted in this race, and we’re doing everything possible to make sure voters understand the stakes. If you're with me, chip in $3 to power our campaign in these final days. We can win, but only if we come together and stand united against hate.
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All my best,
Jay Chen
