anh cao's unlikely rise to congress

Here's another New York Times story on Anh Cao, who beat the odds and defeated incumbent Rep. William J. Jefferson last weekend in New Orleans (the election had been delayed because of Hurricane Gustav) to become the first Vietnamese American elected to Congress: History and Amazement in House Race Outcome.

All things considered, his path to this moment is pretty incredible—a refugee from Vietnam at age 8, a former Jesuit seminarian, a philosophy student, an unknown activist lawyer for one of the least visible immigrant communities in New Orleans, and a Republican in a heavily Democratic district... and now a Congressman.

Still, the road for Anh Cao from here on out will not be easy. Here's an interesting analysis over at Daily Kos on Cao's poltical future: The future of Cao.

UPDATE: Another perspective on Anh Cao, and what his stunning upset victory means for the GOP: Future of GOP is Cao. Mainly, he gives Republicans a rare minority face in Congress. Not only is Cao the first Vietnamese American elected to Congress, as many have noted, he'll be the only Asian American Republican in the 111th Congress and the only non-Hispanic minority in the House GOP.