Sam Cao: Young Chinese Leader


UCA Youth Leadership Council member Sam Cao ran for Ohio State Representative in 2022, losing the Democratic Primary against Joy Bennett with a 41% margin. As a 17 year old junior in high school, Sam Cao would have been the youngest representative ever if he won. 

Despite his loss, Cao makes no notion that he will be quitting politics or his work in civic engagement any time soon. In his campaign statement, he states that he’ll “be focusing on building the pipeline for future Democratic candidates to come as well as developing the FlipOHBlue coalition more.” When Cao looks back on his campaign, he’s proud, even saying that he “view(s) this campaign as a win” due to the impact he’s had on young voter registration, education, and media attention. Cao states that his team has “registered plenty of 17 year old voters for the general election…brought outside attention towards our county races…(and) informed people…on what state legislator is and the importance of local elections.”

When Sam spoke at this year’s UCA Convention, audiences were struck by his passion. Cao talked about the importance of Asian American youths engaging in politics and how his community has supported him through his campaign. He emphasized the importance of voting, especially in a “red state” like Ohio. Although balancing schoolwork and campaigning was difficult, Cao still spoke confidently and inspiringly when addressing people. With his corny jokes and funny puns, Sam truly had the ability to rally others around him. 

Although he didn’t win his election, Sam Cao has advanced the entire Asian-American community with his bold campaign built on compassion and unity. He’s spread a message of engagement in young voters, and his campaign stands for all young Chinese-Americans interested in politics and activism. 


Thank you for reading this news article by Angel Liang, our staff writer! Angel Liang is a senior in high school based on the East Coast. Angel is a Chinese school volunteer, a violinist, and an activist. In her free time, she likes to write poetry, play video games, and listen to music. Stay tuned for more works by Angel in the future and read more about her here.

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