Yin throws hat in ring

A screen capture of Yin's post on Weibo announcing his candidacy for Washington's lieutenant governor.

Phillip Yin, a Bellevue, Washington, resident and Yakima native, is running for lieutenant governor as a Republican.

"I love Washington state," he told China Daily. "I know we can make Washington the most family-friendly, job-creating and innovative state in the country."

Yin previously worked for Bloomberg Television and CNBC Asia as a business/political anchor. His journalism credentials also include stints with CCTV America, hosting his own show and covering the 2012 presidential election.

As an investor, he was a portfolio manager and strategist for Switzerland-based Unifund, and launched a portfolio management business for Charles Schwab in Hong Kong.

Yin was also an adviser to the law firm of Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd during an investigation into the failure of Lehman Brothers that led to the recovery of $1.8 billion for some 40,000 investors.

He has an undergraduate business degree from the University of Washington and an international MBA from Georgetown.

"My international journalism and business background is a perfect background for this job," Yin said. "This job is going to evoke a lot of discussion and going to promote a lot of businesses to the state."

Yin's parents are first-generation immigrants from Shanghai. He said he is proud of the Chinese culture and the the fact he understands both the US and China cultures is a plus for the lieutenant governor post, as he wants to promote the state to the world - including China.

With Yin's announcement, the field for lieutenant governor now numbers six, including state senators Cyrus Habib and Karen Fraser and Rep Jim Moeller, all Democrats.

University Place Mayor Pro Tem Javier Figueroa and Eyes on Washington AM radio host Marty McClendon, both Republicans, also are running.

lindadeng@chinadailyusa.com