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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]
Mike Yin | |
|---|---|
| Minority Leader of the Wyoming House of Representatives | |
| Assumed office January 10, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Cathy Connolly |
| Member of the Wyoming House of Representatives from the 16th district | |
| Assumed office January 7, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Mike Gierau |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 14, 1986 Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Residence | Jackson, Wyoming |
| Education | Carnegie Mellon University (BS) |
| Occupation | Politician, software engineer, businessman |
| Website | Campaign website |
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]
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]
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]
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
2018 election
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)
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]
| 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 | |||||
| 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 | |||||
| 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 | ||||
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