Former Diplomat Chuck Park Launches Challenge Against Queens Rep. Meng, Amid Voters' Shift Away from Political Establishment
Chuck Park, a 40-year old former U.S. diplomat and city government leader, today announced the launch of a campaign to unseat Congresswoman Grace Meng in the Democratic primary for NY’s 6th district, spanning the core of Queens from Woodside and Elmhurst to Forest Hills, Flushing, and Bayside. Born in Flushing and raised by Korean immigrant store owners, Park served as a U.S. Foreign Service Officer for nearly a decade before resigning in 2019 to protest the first Trump administration’s cruel family separation and immigration policies.
Park is the latest in a national wave of energetic, grassroots Democrats taking on an entrenched political establishment that is increasingly out of step with voters. His platform includes commitments to Medicare for all, federally-funded universal childcare, safer streets, and modernized transit – including the restoration of a long defunct Long Island Railroad station in Elmhurst, Queens. His campaign has refused to accept any donations from corporate PACs or lobbyists.
“Queens runs this city. And I’m running for Congress because we deserve a representative who works as hard as we do,” said Chuck Park, candidate for NY’s 6th Congressional District. “The families of this district are under attack, not just from Trump’s healthcare cuts, slashing of food stamps, and abductions of our neighbors and friends, but also from an established political elite that would rather hold fundraisers with corporate donors than serve working people. It’s time to give power back to the people of Queens.”
Representative Meng has represented the district since 2013. Before her election to Congress, she held the State Assembly seat vacated by her father, Jimmy Meng, who was convicted and jailed for soliciting bribes while in office. Meng has faced only one primary challenge in the last decade, when she lost 34 percent of the vote to two grassroots candidates in 2020.
According to her latest Federal Election Commission filing, Meng has nearly a million dollars on hand, including major donations from corporate PACs representing major pharmaceutical companies, weapons manufacturers, and telecom conglomerates, as well as AIPAC.
