Introduction
Evan Low (Chinese: 羅達倫; pinyin: Luó Dálún) (born June 5, 1983) is an American politician currently serving in the California State Assembly. He is a Democrat representing the 28th Assembly District, which encompasses parts of the South Bay and Silicon Valley.
Prior to his election in the Assembly in 2014, Low served as a Mayor and City Councilmember in Campbell, California. He is also a member of the California Legislative LGBT Caucus, and the California Asian & Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus.
Early life
Low was born in 1983 as the son of Arthur Low, a Chinese American optometrist, grew up in San Jose, California, attending Leland High School, and moved to Campbell in 2003.
Education
He earned a bachelor's degree in political science from San Jose State University. He participated in a three-week program, the Senior Executives in State and Local Government program, at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.
California Assembly
In 2014, Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins appointed Low as Assistant Majority Whip. Low was kept in the same leadership role by Atkins's successor, Speaker Anthony Rendon, in 2016.
Low is a co-founder and co-chair of the California Legislative Tech Caucus, a bipartisan and bicameral group of state lawmakers dedicated "to ensur[ing] that California remains the global leader in technology and innovation."There are 24 members of the Tech Caucus.
In 2016, Low introduced AB 1887 that would ban all California state-funded travel to states that enacted laws to discriminate against individuals based upon sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression, that was supported by U.S. House of Representatives Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.
In 2016, New York Magazine identified Low as a potential United States presidential candidate in 2024.
2014 California State Assembly
| California's 28th State Assembly district election, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary election | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Evan Low | 30,807 | 39.7 | |
| Republican | Chuck Page | 20,895 | 26.9 | |
| Democratic | Barry Chang | 19,156 | 24.7 | |
| Republican | Michael Hunsweck | 6,732 | 8.7 | |
| Total votes | 77,590 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Evan Low | 71,239 | 59.4 | |
| Republican | Chuck Page | 48,645 | 40.6 | |
| Total votes | 119,884 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
2016 California State Assembly
| California's 28th State Assembly district election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary election | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Evan Low (incumbent) | 83,038 | 71.5 | |
| Republican | Nicholas Sclavos | 33,154 | 28.5 | |
| Total votes | 116,192 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Evan Low (incumbent) | 136,547 | 70.0 | |
| Republican | Nicholas Sclavos | 58,641 | 30.0 | |
| Total votes | 195,188 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
Campbell City Council
In 2004, he unsuccessfully ran for a seat on the City Council, and won in 2006. Low worked as a senior district representative for California's former 28th State Assembly district Assemblymember Paul Fong.
When his colleagues selected him to become Campbell mayor in 2009, Low became the youngest openly gay, Asian American Mayor in the nation.
In 2013, his colleagues on the Campbell City Council selected him to serve as Mayor for a second time. His term on the council expired in 2014.
Honors
While Mayor of San Francisco, Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom issued a Proclamation naming June 5, 2006, “Evan Low Day” in the City and County of San Francisco.