In 1959, Hiram Fong became the first Asian American, Chinese American, and Republican to serve as U.S. Senator for the newly-admitted state of Hawaiʻi. During his 18-year tenure, he positioned himself as a moderate. A Cold War warrior, Fong was hawkish on communism, stood by Taiwan, and stayed true to the mission of the Vietnam War and the simultaneous battles in Cambodia. Though he had ties to labor, he was also a friend of the business community across the islands and on the mainland. When it came to civil rights and immigration, Fong generally championed liberal positions evidenced in his support of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and 1965 Hart-Celler Immigration Act.

While Fong developed a multiracial alliance of supporters, Fong especially garnered a loyal following of Chinese, Japanese, and Filipino Americans in Hawaiʻi and across the lower 48. In Fong, his supporters –especially Asian Americans – saw a figure who went up to bat for his community in Washington. This talk focuses on Fong's impact and legacy as one of the 20th century's most prominent Asian American political figures. Zarsadiaz argues that Fong helped establish a modern image of Asian American conservatism during his tenure, shaping how the Asian American right moved in U.S. politics in the decades that followed.

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