Rui Xu

Rui Xu (born 1989) is a Chinese American politician. He is a Democratic member of the Kansas House of Representatives for the 25th district since 2019.

Rui Xu
Member of the Kansas House of Representatives from the 25th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 8, 2019
Preceded by	Melissa Rooker
Personal details
Born	Rui Xu 1989 (age 35–36) Switzerland
Political party	Democratic
Alma mater	University of Southern California[1]
Occupation	Sports analyst

He is the first Chinese American to serve in the Kansas Legislature and the only Asian American currently serving.

Early life and education

Xu was born in 1989 in Switzerland before moving to Rolla, Missouri. When he was twelve became a US citizen.^[2]

Xu studied economics at the University of Southern California.^[2]

Political career

Rui was elected to the Kansas House of Representatives for the first time in 2018, defeating incumbent Republican Melissa Rooker.^[3] With the victory Xu became the first Chinese American to serve in the Kansas Legislature.^[4] As of the 2024 election cycle he is the only Asian American currently serving.^[5]

In 2020 and 2022, Xu ran for the seat unopposed.^[6][7] In 2024, he ran against Republican challenger Greg J. Schoofs.^[8]

Kansas House Committee Assignments

Xu has served on the Kansas House committees for Agriculture, Education, Higher Education Budget, and Financial Institutions and Pensions.^[2] He also served on the 2020 Special Committee on Kansas Mental Health Modernization.^[9]

Political positions

Xu is a member of the Democratic party. He opposes restrictions to abortions, he was against the 2022 Kansas abortion referendum which sought to restrict abortion in the state.^[10] He has been endorsed by the nonprofit health services organization Planned Parenthood.^[11]

Xu has proposed several bills to address climate change. He supports expanding LGBTQ rights in Kansas, condemning the passage of a bill that restricted same-sex couples from adopting children.^[11]