Ling Ling Chang (born July 24, 1976) is an American politician who formerly served in the California State Senate, representing the 29th district, encompassing parts of Los Angeles, Orange, and San Bernardino counties.[1][2] Prior to being elected to the state Senate, she was a Diamond Bar City Councilwoman and a state Assemblywoman for the 55th district.[3] Chang is a Republican. She was also the first Taiwanese-born American elected to the state Assembly, and was the only Asian American woman in the California Legislature during her terms in office.[1][3]
Ling Ling Chang | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the California State Senate from the 29th district | |
| In office June 25, 2018 – November 30, 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Josh Newman |
| Succeeded by | Josh Newman |
| Member of the California State Assembly from the 55th district | |
| In office December 1, 2014 – November 30, 2016 | |
| Preceded by | Curt Hagman |
| Succeeded by | Phillip Chen |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Chang Ling Ling July 24, 1976 Taipei, Taiwan |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Andrew Wong |
| Residence | Diamond Bar, California |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Website | https://chang.cssrc.us/ |
| Chinese name | |
| Traditional Chinese | 張玲齡 |
| Simplified Chinese | 张玲龄 |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Zhāng Líng Líng |
In 2016, Chang was a candidate for California's 29th State Senate district, losing the general election very narrowly to Democrat Josh Newman.[2] After Newman was recalled by voters in 2018, Chang won a plurality of votes on the recall ballot and became the state Senator for California's 29th district.[4] Chang narrowly lost re-election to Josh Newman in the 2020 election.[5]
Early life and education
Born in Taiwan, Chang and her family emigrated to the United States when she was three years old.[6] She was raised in Diamond Bar and graduated from Diamond Bar High School.[7] She studied biology at UC Riverside but did not graduate.[6][8] She was criticized during her 2014 campaign for claims that she attended Harvard University when she was in fact taking online classes through Harvard Extension School, the university's online extension program which is open to the general public.[9][10]
Career
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Chang worked at Strategy Insights Group. In 2005, she was elected to the Walnut Valley Water District Board and was then elected twice to the Diamond Bar City Council.[1]
California State Assembly
Chang was elected to the California Assembly in the 55th district in 2014 and had five bills signed into law in her first seven months in office.[6] She also proposed bills seeking to cut business regulations.[8]
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Republican | Ling Ling Chang | 13,242 | 28.7 | |
| Democratic | Gregg D. Fritchle | 12,243 | 26.5 | |
| Republican | Phillip Chen | 10,659 | 23.1 | |
| Republican | Steve Tye | 9,987 | 21.6 | |
| Total votes | 46,131 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Republican | Ling Ling Chang | 54,313 | 63.7 | |
| Democratic | Gregg D. Fritchle | 30,895 | 36.3 | |
| Total votes | 85,208 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
2016 State Senate run
Chang was the Republican candidate for California's 29th State Senate district in the 2016 election. She ran against two Democrats, former Irvine Mayor Sukhee Kang and veteran Josh Newman to succeed Bob Huff in 2016 due to term limits.[11]
As of October 2016, Chang had raised more than $4 million.[8] She made public comments distancing herself from Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.[12][13] In November 2016, with 49.6% of the vote, Chang lost the general election to Democrat Josh Newman.[14]
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Republican | Ling Ling Chang | 73,514 | 44.0 | |
| Democratic | Josh Newman | 48,754 | 29.2 | |
| Democratic | Sukhee Kang | 44,766 | 26.8 | |
| Total votes | 167,034 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Josh Newman | 160,230 | 50.4 | |
| Republican | Ling Ling Chang | 157,732 | 49.6 | |
| Total votes | 317,962 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic gain from Republican | ||||
2018 State Senate special recall election
On June 5, 2018, Chang won a recall election for the same State Senate seat that she had lost to Josh Newman two years earlier. Newman was targeted for recall by the Republican Party of California in an attempt to break the Democratic super majority in the Senate, though the campaign also emphasized Newman's vote to increase gas and vehicle taxes to fund infrastructure improvements.[16][4]
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| Choice | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
 Yes | 91,892 | 58.1 |
| No | 66,197 | 41.9 |
| Total votes | 158,089 | 100.00 |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Ling Ling Chang | 50,215 | 33.8 | |
| Democratic | Joseph Cho | 31,726 | 21.4 | |
| Republican | Bruce Whitaker | 28,704 | 19.3 | |
| Democratic | Josh Ferguson | 17,745 | 12.0 | |
| Democratic | Kevin Carr | 12,713 | 8.6 | |
| Republican | George C. Shen | 7,442 | 5.0 | |
| Total votes | 148,545 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican gain from Democratic | ||||
2020 State Senate election
In 2020 Chang lost the election to serve a full term in the State Senate. She lost the 2020 rematch to Josh Newman by a margin about three times larger than she had lost in 2016.
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Republican | Ling Ling Chang (incumbent) | 98,687 | 47.4 | |
| Democratic | Josh Newman | 69,732 | 33.5 | |
| Democratic | Joseph Cho | 39,643 | 19.1 | |
| Total votes | 208,062 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Josh Newman | 214,456 | 51.3 | |
| Republican | Ling Ling Chang (incumbent) | 203,762 | 48.7 | |
| Total votes | 418,218 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic gain from Republican | ||||
Personal life
Chang is married to Andrew Wong, an attorney.[1]