HUNTSVILLE – Derek Chen, an attorney and Republican candidate for Alabama state auditor, recently brought his campaign to Huntsville, outlining his priorities for the office and stressing the role it plays in both state property oversight and election administration.
“The state auditor’s position is a really important position,” Chen said. “It is in charge of auditing physical state property that has a value of $500 or greater. And the state auditor also appoints registrars in 66 of the 67 counties in our state, and those are very critical positions with relation to election administration.”
Chen said he is running to ensure that state property is properly managed and local registrars are “competent and qualified folks that understand the importance of election security.”
A graduate of Hope College, the Cumberland School of Law, and the University of Alabama, where he earned his MBA, Chen has practiced law in Jefferson County. He is a resident of Vestavia Hills and the son of legal immigrants from Taiwan, a background he said gives him a unique appreciation for responsible citizenship and for standing up against government overreach.
Though this is his first statewide campaign, Chen said the early reception has been encouraging.
“The reception has been fantastic,” he said. “I’m just so grateful to the people of Alabama for their warm welcome in their respective communities. And I want to continue to travel the state and take our message of government accountability to the people.”
Chen has long described himself as a supporter of President Donald Trump and the America First agenda. He was an early backer of Trump’s 2016 campaign and has remained aligned with the former president’s policies.
Chen faces Robert “Lane” McCollum in the Republican primary next May.
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