Fil-Am wins unopposed as Georgia legislator, cites experiences as an immigrant as motivation

A Filipino-American who was born in Quezon City in the Philippines has won as a district representative in Georgia State Legislature after running in the election unopposed.

Interviewed on CNN Philippines on Monday, Marvin Lim said his background as an immigrant pushed him to run in the election to give voice to the "unrepresented" sector.

"Many things made me run but in no small part I was motivated by my experiences being an immigrant. I was actually born in the Philippines. I lived there ‘til I was seven in Rizal," Lim said.

Lim won the seat for District 99 Representative after the Republican Party did not nominate a candidate for the position, The FilAm reported.

“We moved here to a district that is over 50% foreign born immigrants, including quite a few Filipinos. And like many with the immigrant experience, people here feel unrepresented, under-resourced, and especially under the present administration, under attack,” Lim said.

According to Lim, the people in his district feel even more unwelcomed as the administration is supposedly laying the blame on Asians for the COVID-19 situation.

Lim’s district is 85% minorities, and 53% of whom are immigrants, according to The FilAm.

“In no small part, I ran for them,” he said.

Lim’s father came from Pangasinan while  his mother was from Binangonan, Rizal. Both were former Meralco employees.

After learning that around 62% of the people in his district decided not to vote in 2016, Lim initiated a "listening campaign" to know the concerns of the residents in the district.

Lim distributed flyers and used social media to inform his residents during the campaign period for the Primary.

He also sent information about public assistance, housing, tenants’ rights, immigration, disability, health insurance, unemployment insurance, and health care especially about COVID-19 to his constituents.

In February, Lim declared his intention to run for representative. Being an Asian immigrant, a person of color and an LGBTQ candidate, Lim's campaign had a lot of appeal, The FilAm said.

During the Primary in Georgia in June, Lim won.

Lim graduated magna cum laude at the Emory University and worked with Catholic Charities as a social worker. He also graduated from Yale Law School and worked in the American Civil Liberties Union.

His work focuses on religious freedom, gun violence, and election law reform.  —KBK, GMA