Mike Yin | |
|---|---|
| Minority Leader of the Wyoming House of Representatives | |
| Assumed office January 10, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Cathy Connolly |
| Member of the WyomingHouseofRepresentatives from the 16th district | |
| Assumed office January 7,2019 | |
| Preceded by | Mike Gierau |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 14,1986 |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | Carnegie Mellon University (BS) |
| Website | Campaign website |
Michael Stephen Yin [a] (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]
Yin was born in Atlanta,Georgia to immigrant parents. His father,Alfred Somboun Yin, [b] was from Yunnan,while his mother,Wooiyi Tan Yin, [c] 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 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]
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]
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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