Sue Googe (center) and her supporters  Photo: Courtesy of Sue Googe

"Will Google sue Sue Googe?" an article published in The Verge asked.

While some are troubled by the similarity between Google and Sue Googe's surname, the Chinese American woman has been taking the media by storm in both the US and China as she fights for a seat in Congress to represent North Carolina's 4th District.

In a recent poll conducted in the state's Wake county, Googe flew ahead of her Republican primary opponent Teiji Kimball, taking 76 percent of the vote. A Chinese immigrant and a big fan of Donald Trump, Googe is fast making a name for herself. If she succeeds in the primary and defeats Democratic incumbent David Price, she will be the first US congresswoman born in the Chinese mainland.

Her Chinese background is seen as a major advantage in her campaign, which has also led to attention from the Chinese media. But while Googe still feels attached to China, she says that her ethnicity has not been as significant as some have made out.

"I believe in individualism and care little about ethnicity. And I don't care about how others see me. I just do things that I believe are right," Googe told the Global Times.

American Dream

Googe has been posting updates about her team on her WeChat account almost every day, and in one of them she wrote: "I became the headline on qq.com overnight and half of the ten thousand comments said I was ugly… I would have looked better if I had a professional makeup artist and photographer."

"Most of the comments said I was ugly and few of them talked about politics," said Googe. The 44-year-old woman, who has become used to American culture, experienced a culture shock in dealing with Chinese media and netizens. In 1995 she went to Hong Kong, and since then has been away from Chinese mainland for 21 years.

Born as Fu Jiangxiu in 1972 in an army horse farm in a remote town in Hainan Province, Googe had a poor childhood that taught her to be tough. As she showed a talent for reading and writing in her childhood, Googe left home for school at the age of 11, forcing her to learn how to live independently.

Googe went to the US in 1998 to study and managed to stay there. But it wasn't an easy journey. She has experienced the difficulties any immigrant faces, such as culture shock and the language barrier.

To survive, she taught herself how to be a computer programmer and stayed in the profession for more than 10 years. Later, she found success as a real estate agent.

"As I understand, the American Dream means anyone can be successful through his or her own efforts. I had no background and I obtained success in my career. I'm a living version of the American Dream," said Googe.

But while she was determined to leave China and pursue her dream in the US, her mother begged her to stay. Unmoved by her tears, she went to the US. Her only regret is that neither of her parents managed to live long enough to see her achievements.

"It's a great pity. They lived rather miserable lives, but failed to share my success," sighed Googe.

Political novice

When Googe announced last November that she would run for Congress, she had already been living in the US for 17 years and had glowing business prospects. But politics? Many were surprised, as she was a total novice, and as an immigrant had no political background at all.

But Googe is a woman of action. She was selected to be the chairwoman for the Republicans' grass-roots voting unit in February 2015 where her abilities were noticed by the Republican Party State vice chair, who encouraged her to run for Congress.  

"When I read Chinese history at an early age I began to believe that I would become a person who serves the people," said Googe. "Even though I've been busy earning a living in the past years, I have never stopped caring about the country."

"The US is in such chaos that I cannot sit still any more. I need to do something to change the country's fate," said Googe.

"Sue will return jobs to America, balance the budget, secure the border, defend personal liberty and fight corruption," she proclaims on her official website. Believing in an individual's right to own guns, one of her pictures features her wearing a qipao and holding two guns.

From the political ideas she posts on her website, it can be seen that Googe is totally in tune with the rhetoric of Donald Trump, with many calling her a female version of the controversial tycoon. On Twitter, the two have expressed mutual support.

"We have similarities in our characters and have common political ideas," said Googe.

Sue Googe and Trump Photo: Courtesy of Sue Googe

Controversy in the community

Sue Googe holding guns Photo: Courtesy of Sue Googe

Googe stands out among Chinese American politicians in the US not only in terms of the party she belongs to, but also in the values she holds.

Though she was born in China, Googe has embraced American values and believes the interests of Chinese in the US are consistent with those of most Americans. She has frequently been asked about her concerns for Chinese Americans as a community, but she obviously sees beyond ethnicity.

"First of all, Chinese Americans should see themselves as Americans. Without love for the country and the people, it is impossible to be a good politician," Googe said. "What Chinese lack is not talent, but care for others, particularly Americans outside their ethnicity."

A person who talks bluntly on her WeChat chat group, Googe has been called a "demoness" by some. After she started her run for Congress, some of her words, in particular those about Chinese Americans, were taken out of context by some to stir controversy. For this reason, she has been questioned a lot in many online discussions. "I do see things differently from Chinese Americans in general," said Googe. She notices that Chinese immigrants tend to give her negative comments online.

"If I get elected, the first thing I do will be to thank the Chinese immigrants who failed to take me down," Googe said online. But she added that as people have gotten to know her, more Chinese Americans have begun supporting her.

Presently, Googe has maintained a momentum in her campaign, in spite of the controversies. But she doesn't want to get ahead of herself. "I can only say I'm cautiously optimistic."