"Don't let TERRORISM take over our Town!"

Racist flier attacks Sikh mayoral candidate in New Jersey.



What the hell, New Jersey? For the second time within a week, a racist flier attacking a local candidate has been circulated anonymously. The latest one targets a Sikh mayor candidate in Hoboken.

On Friday night, fliers attacking Hoboken councilman and mayor candidate Ravi Bhalla were anonymously placed on car windshields in the mid-town area. The fliers declare "Don't let TERRORISM take over our Town!" above a picture of Bhalla, who wears a turban and unshorn beard in accordance with his Sikh faith.

Bhalla shared the flier on Twitter, assuring supporters that "we won't let hate win."

"The Chinese and Indians are taking over our town!"

Racist mailers sent to voters in Edison, New Jersey.



With an election just around the corner, you can always count on some underhanded racist campaigning. But it's still pretty shocking when it's this blatant. The above mailer, targeting Chinese American and Indian American school board candidates, was apparently sent to voters in Edison, New Jersey.

With the super-original slogan "Make Edison Great Again," the postcard implores voters to "Stop Jerry Shi & Falguni Patel From taking over our School Board," with a red "DEPORT" stamped under Shi and Patel's faces.

"The Chinese and Indians are taking over our town!" the anonymous mailer declares. "Chinese school! Indian school! Cricket fields! Enough is enough!" But wait, they're not done yet.

The reverse side says, "Stop the overcrowding! Stop taking over our sports fields! Stop the McMansions! Stop the multiple families living in the same house! Stop wasting school holidays! Stop the outsiders! Let's take back our Edison & our Schools."

John Chiang is running for Governor of California

State Treasurer officially launches campaign for the Golden State's top job.



It's official. John Chiang is running for governor of California. The state treasurer announced Tuesday that he has filed paperwork with the Secretary of State to allow him to raise funds for a gubernatorial run in 2018.

John Chiang jumps into California's 2018 governor's race

"As your next Governor, I have a blueprint for expanding and renewing the California dream through fixing our crumbling infrastructure, making retirement security our generation's call to arms, and rebuilding California's middle class through better jobs and improved educational opportunities," Chiang said.

The announcement wasn't much of a surprise to California's political observers. Chiang has been saying for months that he was "strongly leaning towards running" for governor. Starting today, no more leaning.

Chiang made the announcement on Facebook and Twitter:

Racist signs target Asian American mayoral candidate

"DON'T VOTE FOR HO CHI CHIN"



Damn. So this is how they throw down in Maine. Dirty. In Lewiston, both Democrats and Republicans condemned racist signs attacking an Asian American mayoral candidate that were posted on at least two downtown buildings. The signs feature a racist Asian caricature and Communist imagery.

Racist signs target mayoral candidate Ben Chin in Lewiston

The signs attack local mayoral candidate Ben Chin, referring to him "Ho Chi Chin." They are designed with the Communist hammer and sickle and read, "DON'T VOTE FOR HO CHI CHIN. VOTE FOR MORE JOBS NOT MORE WELFARE," with a caricature of Vietnamese revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh.

Donald Trump mocks Asians in campaign speech

"We want deal!" Republican front-runner impersonates Chinese and Japanese negotiators.



And we're off! The Republican presidential candidates appear to be in a neck-and-neck horserace to see who can offend the hell out of Asians. The latest shot comes from -- surprise, surprise -- Donald Trump.

Well, that didn't take long. Just a day after Florida governor Jeb Bush threw Asians under the bus with his comments about "anchor babies," Republican front-runner Donald Trump did a shitty little impression of Asians, using broken English during a campaign speech in Iowa on Tuesday night.

"Negotiating with Japan, negotiating with China, when these people walk into the room, they don't say, 'Oh hello, how's the weather, so beautiful outside, isn't it lovely? How are the Yankees doing? Oh they are doing wonderful, great,'" Trump told supporters in Dubuque. "They say, 'We want deal.'"

You really have to see the video for the full effect:

Join the campaign to release the #ElPaso37

More than thirty Punjabi asylum seekers remain in ICE custody without due process



In Texas, more than forty Sikh men from India -- members of a minority political party from the Punjab region -- have been detained since spring of 2013 at the El Paso Immigration and Customs Enforcement Processing Center. They fled their home country seeking asylum from persecution, only to find themselves languishing in custody here in the United States without due process for nearly a year.

Earlier this month, 37 of the detainees -- dubbed the #ElPaso37 -- initiated a hunger strike in protest of continued denials of their rights to due process. The ended after ten days, with several hospitalizations, amid promises from ICE that the detainees' paperwork would finally move forward. But so far over thirty detainees still remained in custody in El Paso.

18 Million Rising has launched a campaign to increase pressure on ICE to release these detainees and call attention to their plight. Starting today, 18MR has partnered with United We Dream to kick off a three-day protest, during which community members, activists, and organizers from across the country will inundate ICE with phone calls expressing concern about and demanding the release of the #ElPaso37.

Want to participate? Here's what to do:

Dinesh D'Souza charged with campaign fraud

Conservative author accused of making illegal contributions to 2012 Senate campaign

Asians behaving badly... illegal campaign contribution edition! In New York, best-selling conservative author and filmmaker Dinesh D'Souza has been indicted on charges that violated campaign finance laws.

Dinesh D'Souza Is Charged With Using Straw Donors

D'Souza is accused of directing $20,000 in illegal contributions to be made to a U.S. Senate candidate. According to federal prosecutors, D'Souza encouraged others to donate to the candidate's campaign and reimbursed them for the donations. Election law caps donations at $5,000 per donor to any one candidate.

The candidate wasn't identified in the indictment, but it appears likely that it was Republican Wendy Long, D'Souza's former Dartmouth classmate who lost her challenge to Democratic incumbent New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand in last year's election -- and the only federal candidate D'Souza donated to in 2012:

What's up with this candidate's "Terracotta" campaign ad?

"Not Like the Rest of the Crowd"



Is this for real? What exactly is Philip Putnam getting at with this campaign ad?

Putnam, who is running for re-election to the South Pasadena City Council, recently ran this print ad in the South Pasadena Review touting himself as "Not Like the Rest of the Crowd" with a bad Photoshop job of him standing out amongst several rows of Terracotta warrior statues. It's kind of confounding.

Can I point out the possible racial implications of this ad?

Join the Thunderclap for Commonsense Immigration Reform

My fellow Americans! Do you support immigration reform? Asian Americans Advancing Justice is launching a Thunderclap campaign on September 17 to tell House Speaker Boehner that Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders demand immigration reform now with family reunification and a path to citizenship.

"#SpeakerBoehner - AAPIs demand immigration reform NOW with family reunification and path to citizenship! #AAPIs4CIR http://thndr.it/1ad6H69"

Thunderclap allows everyone to send the same Twitter and Facebook message at once, giving us maximum impact. You can help with just a few seconds of your time. Just go here and select "Support with Twitter" or "Support with Facebook" and it's on. Some facts on immigration reform:

Kentucky super PAC attacks Elaine Chao with racist tweets

I've got little love for Elaine Chao, but this racist bullshit. In Kentucky, a liberal super PAC is under fire for tweets attacking Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's wife, former Labor Secretary Elaine Chao: Liberal Super PAC Sends Racist Tweet About Mitch McConnell’s Chinese Wife.

McConnell (R-KY) is running for re-election in 2013. Progress Kentucky, a super PAC focused on defeating McConnell, posted multiple tweets highlighting Elaine Chao's Chinese heritage, going as far as blaming her cultural ties for the outsourcing of Kentucky jobs and the growth of industrial China:

campaign flier features candidate's face on chinese food containers

Hey, candidates! Election Day is tomorrow! You've still got plenty of time to get your racist campaign material out there. Here's a candidate who's trying extra hard to go full anti-China on his opponent: Ohio Republican Mailer Features Chinese Food Containers, Chopsticks To Tar Democrat.

As all political campaigns know these days, the best way to demonize your opponent is to paint them as China's best friend. Ohio congressional candidate Rep. Jim Renacci recently sent out a campaign flier prominently featuring illustrated images of opponent Rep. Betty Sutton on a Chinese food take-out container, complete with that stereotypical wonton font.

Yup. This one doesn't win any points for subtlety:

Jay Chen receives another racist rant

More on the political mudslinging and racist attacks getting thrown at congressional candidate Jay Chen. Things are escalating. There were stupid signs, racist emails, and now, a voice mail: Jay Chen, LA-OC Congressional Candidate, Gets Another Anti-Asian Rant And Threat of Violence.

Chen's campaign received the message on Saturday from someone who blocked his number. The caller, who professed support for Republican opponent Rep. Ed Royce, called Chen a "little Chinese fucker," "little shit" and "a piece of crap." Seriously. You can listen to the voice mail here:

yet another attack ad starring evil greedy china

From Racist Political Ads... Yet another attack ad starring Big Bad China. This one, courtesy of Karl Rove, goes to great lengths to paint President Barack Obama as Evil Greedy China's Best Friend. Hell, it even ends with an image of the President "bowing" to Hu Jintao -- the way we'll all inevitably have to bow to our future Chinese overlords: