Political Career
In his first attempt at public office, Woo was elected Lieutenant Governor in 1984. He won the Democratic primary election by defeating two veteran State Senators, Nancy W. Cook of Dover and David B. McBride, of New Castle. In the general election he narrowly defeated Republican Battle R. Robinson of Georgetown, who was the first woman to practice law in Sussex County, and the assistant legal counsel to retiring Governor Pierre S. du Pont, IV. Woo thus became one of the highest ranking Chinese-American public office holders in the nation and served one term from January 15, 1985 until January 20, 1989.
Woo narrowly won the Democratic primary election for U.S. Senator in 1988, defeating Samuel S. Beard, an heir to a railroad fortune, and resident of Greenville, Delaware. In fact, the election appeared to be lost until an error in the tabulation was discovered, which changed the result. Nevertheless, Woo lost the general election to the incumbent Republican U.S. Senator William V. Roth, Jr.. Likewise, in 1992, he was the Democratic candidate for the U.S. House, but lost the election to retiring Governor Michael N. Castle.
Woo became an Independent in 2000 and announced his intention not to accept a federal appointment in order to advance public perception of his neutrality without any personal partisan benefit.
Read more about this topic: Shien Biau Woo
Famous quotes related to political career:
“It is my settled opinion, after some years as a political correspondent, that no one is attracted to a political career in the first place unless he is socially or emotionally crippled.”
—Auberon Waugh (b. 1939)