| Lily Wu | |
| Office: | 103rd Mayor of Wichita |
| Term Start: | January 8, 2024 |
| Predecessor: | Brandon Whipple |
| Birth Place: | Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala |
| Party: | Libertarian (2022–present) |
| Otherparty: | Republican (before 2022) |
| Education: | Wichita State University (BA) University of Hong Kong (MA) |
Lily Wu (born 1984) is an American politician and former television news anchor, currently serving as the 103rd mayor of Wichita, Kansas, since 2024. Although the position is non-partisan, and the party made no election endorsements, she is a registered voting member of the Libertarian Party.[1] [2] [3]
Wu's parents left China to immigrate to the United States and she was born while her parents lived in Antigua Guatemala in 1984. The family moved to Wichita in 1993. Wu graduated from the International Baccalaureate program at Wichita East High School, earned her bachelor's degree in international business and integrated marketing communication from Wichita State University, and a master's degree in journalism from the University of Hong Kong.
Wu joined KAKE as a reporter in 2010. She hosted their morning show from August 2014 to September 2016. She left KAKE in December 2019.[4] She joined KWCH-DT as an anchor and reporter in June 2020[5] and resigned her position in March 2023.[6]
Wu attended the Charles Koch Institute and completed a one-year associate program. She was a member of the Republican Party, but switched her voting registration to the Libertarian Party in 2022.[7]
In April 2023, she announced her candidacy in the 2023 non-partisan election for mayor of Wichita.[8] She was endorsed by Americans for Prosperity (AFP), the Wichita Regional Chamber PAC,[9] the Wichita Fraternal Order of Police, and former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.[7] Wu raised $440,000, a record amount and number of contributors, and AFP spent an additional $192,000 on her behalf.[10]
Wu finished the primary election in first place and advanced to a runoff election with incumbent mayor Brandon Whipple.[11] She defeated Whipple in the general election, 58% to 42%[12] making her the first Asian American mayor of Wichita, Kansas.[13] Newsweek called her win the Libertarian Party's "Biggest Ever Election Win",[14] but the Libertarian Party of Kansas does not recognize her as an official Libertarian candidate.[15]
Wu was sworn into office on January 8, 2024, in a ceremony at Wichita City Hall.[16]