In 1988, Chu was elected to the Monterey Park City Council. In 1989, she became Mayor of Monterey Park and served until 1994. Chu was mayor for three terms.[10][7][3][9]
Barred by term limits from running for a third term in 2006, Chu was elected to the State Board of Equalization from the 4th district, representing most of Los Angeles County.[citation needed]
Chu decided to run for the 2009 special election for the California's 32nd congressional district after U.S. Representative Hilda Solis was appointed to become President Barack Obama's United States Secretary of Labor. Chu led the field in the May 19 special election, but due to the crowded field (eight Democrats and four Republicans) she only got 32% of the vote, well short of the 50% needed to win outright.[12] In the runoff election, she defeated Republican Betty Chu (her cousin-in-law and a Monterey Park City Councilwoman) 62%–33%.[5][13]
Chu was heavily favored due to the district's heavy Democrat tilt. With a Cook Partisan Voting Index of D+15, it is one of the safest Democratic districts in the nation. She was reelected to her first full term with 71% of the vote.[14]
In August 2011, Chu decided to run in the newly redrawn California's 27th congressional district.[15] The district has the second highest percentage of Asian Americans in the state with 37%, behind the newly redrawn 17th CD which is 50% Asian.[16] Registered Democrats make up 42% of the district. Obama won the district with 63% in the 2008 presidential election. Jerry Brown won with 55% in the 2010 gubernatorial election.[17][18] Chu was reelected, defeating Republican Jack Orswell 64% to 36%.[19]
Chu won reelection over fellow Democrat Bryan Witt by a 79.2% to 20.8% margin,[20] in one of a handful of districts in California that featured only Democrats on its midterm ballot.[21]
Chu won reelection to her seventh term over Republican Johnny J. Nalbandian by a 69.8% to 30.2% margin. Nalbandian never conceded the race, citing unproven voter fraud.[citation needed]
Tenure
Chu and husband Mike Eng, with Nancy Pelosi, at Chu's Swearing In ceremony for the U.S. House of Representatives
In 2009, Chu voted to increase the debt ceiling to $12.394 trillion. In 2010, she voted to increase the debt ceiling to $14.294 trillion. In January 2011, she voted against a bill to reduce spending on non-security items to fiscal year 2008 levels. In 2011, Chu voted against the Budget Control Act of 2011, which incrementally raised the debt ceiling.[22]
In 2010, she voted against measures proposed by the House to strip government funding to Planned Parenthood, and opposed restricting federal funding of abortions.[23]
Chu opposed the "See Something, Say Something Act of 2011", which provides "immunity for reports of suspected terrorist activity or suspicious behavior and response." She said, "if a person contacts law enforcement about something based solely on someone's race, religion, ethnicity, or national origin, they would not receive immunity from civil lawsuits."[24][25]
In June 2011, the House Ethics Committee began an investigation after receiving information suggesting that two of Chu's top aides had directed staffers to do campaign tasks during regular work hours. The investigation found that Chu had sent two emails to her staff on how to respond to aspects of the Ethics Committee's inquiry. The Committee found no evidence that Chu was aware of her staff's actions, it did find that the emails represented actions that interfered with the committee's investigation of the matter, and on December 11, 2014, it formally reprimanded Chu for interfering with its investigation of her office.[26][27]
In 2012, a Chinese spy, Christine "Fang Fang" Fang, volunteered for Chu's campaign and is suspected to have used political connections to spy for the Chinese Communist Party. Chu was one of several Democratic politicians who were targeted.[28] She is an advocate of the People's Mujahedin of Iran (MEK).[29] Chu later voted against a resolution "denouncing the horrors of socialism," and published an op-ed in the Whittier Daily News explaining it.[30]
On December 6, 2017, Chu was arrested during a protest outside of the U.S. Capitol.[31] In 2019, Chu was named "honorary chairwoman" of the Forums for Peaceful Reunification of China, an organization advocating for Chinese unification.[32]
As of October 2022, Chu had voted in line with Joe Biden's stated position 100% of the time.[35]
In February 2024, Congresswoman Judy Chu was recorded as 'not voting' on HR 2766, the Uyghur Policy Act of 2023, a bill intended to address human rights concerns regarding the Uyghur population in China. The bill had broad bipartisan support.[36]
Chu voted to provide Israel with support following 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.[47][48] However, as of April 20, 2024, she voted against sending aid via H.R. 8034 to Israel, stating "Israel has demonstrated that it can prosecute its war against Hamas without this offensive military assistance from the United States, and the way in which it has done so has resulted in more than 33,000 deaths in Gaza and a worsening humanitarian crisis."
Personal life
Chu married Mike Eng in 1978. They live in Monterey Park.[49] Eng took Chu's seat on the Monterey Park City Council in 2001, when Chu left the council after being elected to the Assembly, and in 2006, he took Chu's seat on the Assembly when Chu left the Assembly.
Chu's nephew, Lance Corporal Harry Lew, a U.S. Marine, died by suicide while serving in Afghanistan on April 3, 2011, allegedly as a result of hazing from fellow Marines after Lew allegedly repeatedly fell asleep during his watch. Chu described her nephew as a patriotic American and said that those responsible must be brought to justice.[50]
