Posted by Paul Kekai Manansala on March 27, 2002 at 14:56:29:
For Immediate Release: March 18, 2002
Contact: Takei Okidata at 703-234-3950, ext. 5616
Rodney Salinas Named “Rising Star of Politics” By Campaigns & Elections Magazine
ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA – Rodney Jay C. Salinas, president of the Rainmaker
Political Group LLC and publisher of PoliticalCircus.com, has been selected as
one of the “Rising Stars of Politics 2002” by Campaigns & Elections magazine and
will be featured in the April 2002 issue.
Salinas joins a distinguished list of political movers and shakers who have received this recognition over the years, including James Carville, George
Stephanopolous, Mary Matalin and Mike McCurry. He is one of the first Asian
Pacific Americans to receive this honor.
“This honor demonstrates the growing influence of the Asian Pacific American
community in all aspects of political management – campaigns, new media, public
policy, advocacy, and elections,” said Salinas. “As important as it is for Asian
Pacific Americans to be running for public office, it’s equally important for
them to be in the ranks and behind the scenes.”
A special reception will be held Friday, April 5, 2002, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm, at
the Washington Marriott Hotel, 1221 22nd Street, NW. The reception kicks off
Campaigns & Elections magazine’s Annual Campaign Training Seminar and Trade
Show.
In 2001, Salinas created PoliticalCircus.com (http://www.politicalcircus.com),
an innovative online magazine that encourages Asian Pacific American political participation. The website has quickly grown to over 1,800 email subscribers and
has been featured in Yahoo! Internet Life magazine and cited approvingly by
Asian Week. His email newsletter is considered essential reading for political
professionals of all backgrounds who are interested in Asian Pacific American
issues.
“Rodney is an inspiration to any young person aspiring to help the community
through political involvement,” added Paul Tiao, co-founder and executive
director of the Asian American Action Fund, a non-partisan political action
committee located in Washington. “His success is also a signal that a new
generation of Asian Pacific Americans has arrived in the arena of political
management.”
As the former executive director of the Asian Pacific American Institute for
Congressional Studies (APAICS), Salinas is also a political commentator for
several newspapers and radio programs, including Pacific Time on KQED Radio and Manila Bulletin USA. A member of the American Association of Political
Consultants, Salinas is a frequent lecturer on Asian American political issues.
He is also currently serving a three-year term as a member of the Human Rights
Commission in Alexandria, VA.
Salinas earned his master’s degree from the Graduate School of Political
Management while on a full scholarship as a Presidential Administrative Fellow
at The George Washington University in Washington, DC.