This is pretty interesting article in The Boston Globe about Councilor Sam Yoon, who is running for mayor of Boston, and his unique position as the first Asian American candidate for mayor in a city that has historically been steeped in ethnic identity politics: Trying to walk fine line on ethnicity.
So far, Yoon has signaled an intent to have it both ways when it comes to his race. It interviews, he's said that he doesn't want to be known by Boston voters as "the Asian candidate," and expressing a desire to be a transcendent political figure like President Barack Obama.
At the same time, he's put his his ethnicity at the forefront of his campaign as he seeks to energize a natural base of support and tap into Asian campaign fund-raising networks both from within and outside of Boston. If he plays it smart, he could leverage both sids of his political identity all the way to the mayor's office.
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