Author Talk: Lily Qi — Elected American: From Red China to Blue Maryland - with Josh Kurtz

Author Lily Qi discusses their book "Elected American" at Politics and Prose bookstore in Washington, D.C.

Thirty years after her solo journey to America, Chinese-born Lily Qi became a Maryland state delegate. It was a gratifying moment she did not take for granted. Qi had overcome a viral WeChat disinformation campaign from her Chinese community and met with skepticism from the Democratic establishment before being elected.

Elected American tells the inspirational story of Qi’s dreams, setbacks, and achievements with candor and humility. Growing up in Mao’s Shanghai when “politics meant danger,” she never imagined running for public office. However, living in America, Qi came to see political participation as a missed opportunity for immigrants. As she campaigned to energize her cultural base, Qi realized she had to teach first-time voters how to make their votes count in a system not designed for them.

As the only U.S. state legislator to have lived through China’s Cultural Revolution, Qi brings a rare cross-system perspective to American politics and the modern-day Asian American identity. Elected American is a political memoir and an immigrant story that emphasizes that democracy doesn’t wait on the sidelines—it favors those who participate.

Lily Qi has served in the Maryland House of Delegates since 2019, representing Montgomery County, a suburb of Washington DC. As a champion for economic competitiveness and cultural competency, Qi is a leading voice on immigrant integration, civic and political engagement, and the Asian American experience.

Qi is in conversation with Josh Kurtz, the founder of Maryland Matters, a 9-year-old nonprofit news website that covers Maryland government and politics, and is the co-host of Maryland Now, a new podcast that makes deep dives into Maryland policy

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