On Tuesday, Sept. 29, New York City Councilman John C. Liu won the runoff to become the 2009 Democratic comptroller candidate, a position that could potentially put him in control of billions of dollars.

If Liu continues his success and is elected to the position of comptroller, he will make history by becoming the first ever Asian American to win a citywide election in New York City. He is already the first and only Asian American to win a mayor elective office in NYC, a huge accomplishment in and of itself.

John Liu was first elected to City Council in 2001, when he worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers as a consultant. His election was a milestone for the Asian American community; until then, Asian Americans had been unsuccessful in breaking into mainstream American politics. Liu then won re-election in both 2003 and 2005 without much difficulty.

Since Liu’s entrance into politics, he has spoken out for the Asian American community and encouraged increased political activity from their ranks. He has also worked intimately with the APA and drew a great deal of support from them during this election.

On Nov. 3, Liu will be pitted against Republican candidate Joe Mendola in the final race that decides who will ultimately become city comptroller.