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Mike Yin
Minority Leader of the Wyoming House of Representatives
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 10, 2023
Preceded byCathy Connolly
Member of the Wyoming House of Representatives
from the 16th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 7, 2019
Preceded byMike Gierau
Personal details
Born (1986-03-14) March 14, 1986 (age 38)
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
ResidenceJackson, Wyoming
EducationCarnegie Mellon University (BS)
OccupationPolitician, software engineer, businessman
WebsiteCampaign website

Michael Yin (born March 14, 1986) is an American politician, software engineer, and businessman. A Democrat, he has represented District 16 of the Wyoming House of Representatives since 2018.[1] Yin is Wyoming's first Chinese-American legislator.[2]

Since 2023, Yin has served as Minority Leader in the Wyoming House of Representatives.[3] Yin is also the president of OtterSpace, a company that builds electric vehicle charging stations in Wyoming.[4]

Early life and education

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Yin was born in Atlanta, Georgia to immigrant parents. His father, Alfred, was from Yunnan, while his mother, Wooiyi, was Malaysian Chinese.[5] Yin grew up in a Republican-voting household.[6]

He studied at Carnegie Mellon University, where he received a degree in computer science. Yin stated that he moved to Wyoming due to the state's natural beauty.[5]

Private sector career

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Yin is a professional software developer, and had worked in the technology industry for a decade prior to his election in 2016.[7] In 2021, Yin founded OtterSpace, a Wyoming-based company that constructs charging charging stations for electric vehicle (EVs).[4] The company opened four charging stations in the state in 2023, solely relying on private funds.[8]

Political career

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Prior to his election to the Wyoming House of Representatives, Yin served as vice chair for the Teton County Democratic Party.[7] During the 2016 Democratic primary, he canvassed in support of Bernie Sanders' campaign, and later canvassed for Hillary Clinton in the general election.[7]

Wyoming House of Representatives

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2018 election

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In 2018, Yin ran to represent district 16 in the Wyoming House of Representatives.[5] The district covers most of the town of Jackson south of Broadway Street.[9] Yin ran unopposed for the Democratic nomination and faced Republican Barbara Allen in the general election. Allen led in a local poll conducted by the Buckrail media outlet prior to the election.[10]

Analysis from The Casper Star-Tribune in 2018 found that he would likely be the second Asian American elected to the body, after Indian-born Republican legislator Nimi McConigley, who served from 1994 to 1996.[11] Yin ultimately won the election by a 59.6% to 40.3% margin.[1]

Tenure (2018-present)

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During his first term in office, he served on a select committee on Blockchain, Financial Technology and Digital Innovation Technology. He sponsored legislation that would raise the minimum wage in Wyoming and protect access to contraceptives.[12] In December 2019, he was part of a group of Asian Americans legislators who traveled to Japan as part of a program created by the U.S.-Japan Council and the Sasakawa Peace Foundation.[13] He was reelected in 2020 without opposition.[1] Following his reelection, he was selected to serve on the Revenue Committee and the House Judiciary Committee going into 2021.[14]

In 2021, Yin cosponsored legislation to introduce a 4% state income tax to fund education.[15] In the 2022 election, he defeated Republican Jim McCollum by a 73.8% to 25.9% margin.[1] In November 2022, he was elected by the Democratic caucus in the House of Representatives to serve as Minority Leader.[3]

Electoral history

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Wyoming House of Representatives' 16th district election, 2022
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Mike Yin (incumbent) 2,477 73.8 –22.5
Republican Jim McCollum 869 25.9 N/A
Write-in 9 0.3 –3.4
Total votes 3,355 100%
Democratic hold
Wyoming House of Representatives' 16th district election, 2020
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Mike Yin (incumbent) 4,327 96.3% +36.7
Write-in 168 3.7% +3.6
Total votes 4,495 100.0%
Democratic hold
Wyoming House of Representatives' 16th district election, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Mike Yin 2,530 59.6
Republican Barbara Allen 1,712 40.3
Write-in 4 0.1
Total votes 4,246 100%
Democratic hold

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Mike Yin". Ballotpedia. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  2. ^ Cottier, Cody (7 November 2018). "Teton's Dems win state contests". Jackson Hole News and Guide. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  3. ^ a b "Democrats select Wyoming House leadership". Casper Star-Tribune. 2022-11-21. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  4. ^ a b Pollack, Nicole (2023-05-10). "Electric vehicle fast chargers announced for western Wyoming, Laramie". Casper Star-Tribune. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  5. ^ a b c Welitzjkin, Paul (2018-11-10). "Wyoming elects its first Chinese state lawmaker". China Daily. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  6. ^ Wolfson, Leo (2023-05-09). "Jackson Democrat Mike Yin Was A Blue Dot In a Sea Of Red At State GOP Meeting". Cowboy State Daily. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  7. ^ a b c Cottier, Cody (31 October 2018). "Candidates for House District 16". Jackson Hole News and Guide. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  8. ^ Tan, Caitlin (2023-12-11). "EV chargers are scarce in Wyoming. Who will fund more?". Marketplace. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  9. ^ Merzbach, Hanna (2022-10-05). "Local candidates for Wyoming House diverge on taxes, abortion". KHOL 89.1 FM. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  10. ^ "How our readers see it: 2018 Buckrail Election Poll Results". Buckrail. 29 October 2018. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  11. ^ Tamanaha, Akemi (2018-06-26). "Mike Yin Could Become Wyoming's First Ever Chinese American Lawmaker". AsAmNews. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  12. ^ "Mike Yin to seek reelection for House". Buckrail - Jackson Hole, news. 2020-05-04. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  13. ^ "Asian American State Legislators Meet with Japanese Government and Business Leaders". Rafu Shimpo. 2020-01-07. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  14. ^ Daly, Meg (2020-12-03). "Representative Mike Yin Talks about Policy-Making During a Pandemic". KHOL 89.1 FM. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  15. ^ Haderlie, Carrie (2021-03-06). "Democrats propose 4% income tax to fund education". The Sheridan Press. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
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Wyoming House of Representatives
Preceded by Minority Leader of the Wyoming House of Representatives
2023–present 		Incumbent
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