San Jose political advisor Alex Lee jumps into Assembly race

Another candidate on Monday entered the race to replace Silicon Valley Assemblyman Kansen Chu, setting the stage for one of the region’s most closely-watched races next year.

Alex Lee, 23, a policy advisor and former field representative for Assemblyman Evan Low, announced he’s jumping into the fray. He joins a slew of other candidates, including Santa Clara County Board of Education trustee Anna Song, Santa Clara Unified School District trustee Jim Canova, Milpitas Mayor Rich Tran and Milpitas Vice Mayor Karina Dominguez, who is expected to announce her candidacy soon.

Lee, who served as the student body president at UC Davis representing 29,000 students, also worked for Southern California Sen. Henry Stern and interned for former Congressman Mike Honda. Lee also ran the campaign for failed San Jose City Council candidate Thomas Duong who ran for the city’s District 7 seat.

Lee said Monday he’ll focus his Assembly campaign on addressing the “growing issues in housing, homelessness, traffic, education and climate change.”

“Families shouldn’t be priced out of the neighborhoods we grew up in. We deserve a leader who is bold and independent. I will fight for the future of our families. A future that is fair, sustainable and affordable,” Lee said. “I grew up in the South Bay, but if things don’t change now, I — like countless others — can’t afford a future here. We need bold solutions to solve the crises we face today. My experience in the Capitol makes me ready to legislate on day one.”

Lee grew up in San Jose and Milpitas, according to his biography, and attended public schools including Sinnott Elementary and Milpitas High School. The 25th Assembly district encompasses Fremont, Newark, Milpitas, San Jose and Santa Clara.

Chu announced last month that he won’t seek re-election to his Assembly seat and will instead run for Santa Clara County supervisor, vying to replace outgoing Supervisor Dave Cortese.