First Generation American, Georgia Native Seeks State House Seat

JT WU, a lifelong Georgian raised in Gwinnett County, the son of Asian-American immigrants is running for House District 97

In a society where government is pretty much run by white men over 55 (the average age of Members of the House at the beginning of the 117th Congress was 58.4 years; of Senators, 64.3 years) some may believe that 27-year-old Asian-American political candidate JT Wu has a monumental task ahead.

In a bid for Georgia’s State House District 97, the lifelong Georgian brings a wealth of knowledge and experience that belies his youthful appearance.

Born Jonathan Sung An Terrence Wu, he prefers the nickname JT. And like much of the area he hopes to represent, he’s part of the changing face of Gwinnett County specifically, and the state of Georgia and the entire United States in general.

“My dad is Malaysian Chinese, and my mom’s Filipino Chinese. They came here in the 1980s wanting to build a better life,” said Wu. “They decided that this was where they wanted to raise their family and put down the roots. … They still live in my childhood home over in Duluth.”

It’s that sense of family that brought Wu back to Georgia after graduating from Princeton University with a degree in public policy and working with the State Department advising diplomats on economics, global economic policy, international human rights and foreign policy, among other things.

“That was a fantastic experience … but I wanted to be back home and be close to my family. My mom had a [few] health problems and I came back home to be closer to where I grew up,” Wu said.

Changing Demographics

In the few years he’d been away, he returned to an area was different.

“Gwinnett County had changed so much since I was a kid, to where we’re at now,” he said. “The amount of diversity, the amount of multiculturalism, multilingualism here is incredible. And it’s such a fantastic asset for us to have a microcosm of what can the new South and what the new Georgia looks like.”

Since his return, Wu has held executive roles across the private sector, fought for living wages as the first-ever Asian-American on the Gwinnett County Public Library Board, and founded an early childhood literacy nonprofit here in Gwinnett County teaching kids of all backgrounds to read.

“There’s a tremendous educational gap for some of these little ones who don’t always speak English in the home; maybe mom and dad have to work multiple jobs to make ends meet and can’t give help at home,” said Wu. “And that can be incredibly challenging for a little one who might not speak English and who might be going into the classroom and having to learn a curriculum and a second language at the same time. That was something that I heard constantly.”

He pointed out that the inability to read on grade level by third grade can put students so far behind that they give up. With little hope, odds are that they end up dropping out of school before high school graduation and perhaps even turning to a life a crime.

“You can look at it from a couple of different angles, but education and foundational educational opportunity has always been a huge thing for me,” said Wu. “I’m blessed to have been the product of my parents’ American dream, and to be able to see that in action. And that’s why I’m excited about running for the seat, because I want to defend that American opportunity and defend that American Dream for the next generation.”

Political ‘To-Do List’

But education enrichment is just one of the issues Wu said he’ll tackle if he’s elected.

“We’ve got 600,000 Georgians without healthcare or access to high quality, affordable healthcare right now. But we’ve got a budget surplus and federal funds for the first time in years,” he said. “So, it becomes a question of the legislature, where are our priorities going to be? And what are we going to choose to invest in for the future?”

Wu also said state government should do more for small businesses.

“I think our small businesses or entrepreneurs, especially in Peachtree Corners and around our district here, deserve a leader who knows how to incentivize the private sector, who wants to come alongside them and build more of the great things that have come on before, but also work with them to create the kind of high-quality, high-paying jobs we need for our future,” he said.

It’s obvious Wu has done his homework. His campaign website has a long to-do list he’s prepared to tackle with concerns like:

• Restoring the $600 million cut from our public school system.
• Protecting and expanding Georgia’s HOPE & Zell scholarships.
• Trusting the science and promoting full transparency, especially around COVID-19.
• Defending reproductive rights and supporting frontline providers.
• Investing in public transit and long-term commuter solutions to relieve congestion.
• Requiring the use of body cameras and banning no-knock warrants for law enforcement.
• Defending constitutionally guaranteed equal rights for all Georgians, including Dreamers.
• Expanding equal services and accessibility for non-English speakers across Georgia.

Not everyone may be on board with his vision. Many of his talking points go against established Republican ideology. Wu said that doesn’t worry him. His goal is to do the right thing, no matter the politics.

“You know, it sounds really big. But it is personal to me because I live here,” he said. “I think we need to stand up to anti-democratic impulses, making sure that we’re defending constitutional rights for folks defending the right to vote and standing up against discrimination. … For me as an Asian American growing up here in Georgia, it’s been a tough year for our community, especially over the last year and so, and it’s not just our community, it’s a lot of communities that are feeling difficulties and challenges, and so to be able to be there and putting up a positive results-oriented vision, but also something that speaks to representation, I think is real important as well.”

As of press time, Wu doesn’t have any opposition in the May primary. Qualifying began Monday, March 7. But he said he’s staying grounded and working toward an ultimate goal. With passion, energy and determination, Wu said he’s ready to lead the next generation. 

“With this campaign, we’re keeping it positive,” he said. “We’re just trying to build a broad base of support, a large coalition, and we’ll keep going and we’ll see what happens.”

Updated 3/8/22

Demographic Comparison of Georgia Legislature to State Population (2020)

Source: National Conference of State Legislatures; U.S. Census Bureau