Rui Xu | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Member of the Kansas House of Representatives from the 25th district | |||||||
| Assumed office January 8, 2019 | |||||||
| Preceded by | Melissa Rooker | ||||||
| Personal details | |||||||
| Born | 1989 (age 36–37) | ||||||
| Party | Democratic | ||||||
| Alma mater | University of Southern California (BA) | ||||||
| Occupation | Marketing analyst Sports analyst | ||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 徐瑞 | ||||||
| Hanyu Pinyin | Xú Ruì | ||||||
| |||||||
Rui Xu (born 1989) is an American politician serving as a Democratic member of the Kansas House of Representatives for the 25th district since 2019. He is the first Chinese American to serve in the Kansas Legislature and the only Asian American currently serving in the body.
Early life and career
[edit]Xu was born in Basel, Switzerland in 1989 to Chinese parents pursuing PhDs and the family moved to the United States when he was two years old.[1] He grew up in Rolla, Missouri, and became a US citizen when he was 12 years old. Xu earned a Bachelor of Arts in economics from the University of Southern California.[2]
Xu has worked as a marketing analyst at Children International and as a sports analyst at Sporting Kansas City.[1]
Kansas House of Representatives
[edit]Xu was elected to the Kansas House of Representatives for the first time in 2018, defeating incumbent Republican Melissa Rooker.[3] With the victory Xu became the first Chinese American to serve in the Kansas Legislature.[4] As of the 2024 election cycle he is the only Asian American currently serving.[5]
In 2020 and 2022, Xu ran for the seat unopposed.[6][7] In 2024, he ran against Republican challenger Greg J. Schoofs.[8] In 2024, Xu voted for a bill which would divest Kansas' public pension fund from Chinese assets, however he criticized the bill for potentially causing anti-Chinese sentiment.[9]
Committees
[edit]Xu has served on the Kansas House committees for Agriculture, Education, Higher Education Budget, and Financial Institutions and Pensions. He also served on the 2020 Special Committee on Kansas Mental Health Modernization.[10]
Political positions
[edit]Xu is a member of the Democratic party. He opposes restrictions to abortion access and opposed the 2022 Kansas abortion referendum which sought to restrict abortion in the state.[11] He has been endorsed by the nonprofit health services organization Planned Parenthood.[12]
Xu has proposed several bills to address climate change. He supports expanding LGBTQ rights in Kansas, condemning the passage of a bill that restricted same-sex couples from adopting children.[12]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Senter, Jay (January 14, 2019). "Capitol Update: Rep. Xu says policies to reverse climate change must be priority". Johnson County Post. Retrieved November 29, 2025.
- ^ "REPRESENTATIVE RUI XU". Future Caucus. Retrieved November 29, 2025.
- ^ Korte, Lara (February 8, 2019). "Former State Rep. Melissa Rooker named executive director of Kansas Children's Cabinet". The Kansas City Star. Archived from the original on February 12, 2019. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
- ^ Ritter, Sarah (October 21, 2019). "5 KC area candidates never imagined running for office. Then they worked for Davids". The Kansas City Star. Archived from the original on May 10, 2021. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
- ^ "Asian American Kansas lawmaker says he was threatened at bar". NBC News. March 23, 2021. Archived from the original on January 27, 2025. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
- ^ "2020 General Election Official Vote Totals" (PDF). Kansas Secretary of State. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
- ^ "2022 General Election Official Vote Totals" (PDF). Kansas Secretary of State. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 2, 2022. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
- ^ "2024 General Election Official Vote Totals" (PDF). Kansas Secretary of State. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 6, 2025. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
- ^ 弗林 (July 27, 2024). "担心台海冲突等顾虑 美国多个州的养老基金从中国撤资". Radio France Internationale (in Chinese). Retrieved November 29, 2025.
- ^ "Representative Rui Xu". Kansas State Legislature. Archived from the original on April 3, 2025. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
- ^ "Kansas House District 25 candidates on the issues: Abortion". Johnson County Post. October 16, 2024. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
- ^ a b "Issues". Rui Xu for Kansas. Archived from the original on June 24, 2024. Retrieved April 12, 2025.