Assemblywoman Ling-Ling Chang declares for Senate

Ling-Ling Chang, who was elected to the state Assembly just seven months ago, isn’t wasting any time in seeking to advance her political career.

The Taiwan-born, self-described “tech geek” announced Friday that she will run next year for the state Senate seat being vacated by Senate Republican leader Bob Huff, who is being forced out by term limits and is running for a seat on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

Huff is endorsing Chang after initially backing one of his aides, Tim Shaw, as his successor. Shaw dropped out Friday as Chang announced for the 29^th Senate District seat and endorsed her as well.

It’s likely that Chang will face Democrat Sukhee Kang, the former mayor of Irvine, who was recruited by Democratic leaders and recently moved into the 29th SD.

The district is centered in northern Orange County but includes pieces of Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties as well.

Chang, like Huff, comes from the Los Angeles County corner of the district. She is a former mayor of Diamond Bar

A Democratic win in the 29^th SD might restore the party’s Senate “supermajority” but it will be an uphill struggle because the district has a Republican voter registration plurality, 37.2 percent versus Democrats’ 33.8 percent, and Chang has proven to be a prodigious campaign fundraiser.

This story was originally published May 29, 2015 at 12:09 PM.