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lan diep

The first time Lan Diep ran for San Jose City Council, he says, he lost by 13 votes. The next time around, he won by 12.

All photos via Lan Diep, used with permission.

Diep, who is the son of Vietnamese political refugees and a Republican, is used to things not coming easy. He spent years as a civil legal aid, fighting back-breaking cases for little payout, and battling on behalf of low-income workers with the Vietnamese American Workers' Rights Project.

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