| Mike Yin | |
| Office: | Minority Leader of the Wyoming House of Representatives |
| Term Start: | January 10, 2023 |
| Predecessor: | Cathy Connolly |
| State House1: | Wyoming |
| District1: | 16th |
| Term Start1: | January 7, 2019 |
| Predecessor1: | Mike Gierau |
| Birth Date: | 14 March 1986 |
| Birth Place: | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Party: | Democratic |
| Education: | Carnegie Mellon University (BS) |
| Residence: | Jackson, Wyoming |
| Occupation: | Politician, software engineer, businessman |
Michael Yin (born March 14, 1986) is an American politician, software engineer, and businessman. A Democrat, he has represented District 16 of the Wyoming House of Representatives since 2018.[1] Yin is Wyoming's first Chinese-American legislator.[2]
Since 2023, Yin has served as Minority Leader in the Wyoming House of Representatives.[3] Yin is also the president of OtterSpace, a company that builds electric vehicle charging stations in Wyoming.[4]
Yin was born in Atlanta, Georgia to immigrant parents. His father, Alfred, was from Yunnan, while his mother, Wooiyi, was Malaysian Chinese.[5] Yin grew up in a Republican-voting household.[6]
He studied at Carnegie Mellon University, where he received a degree in computer science. Yin stated that he moved to Wyoming due to the state's natural beauty.
Yin is a professional software developer, and had worked in the technology industry for a decade prior to his election in 2016.[7] In 2021, Yin founded OtterSpace, a Wyoming-based company that constructs charging charging stations for electric vehicle (EVs). The company opened four charging stations in the state in 2023, solely relying on private funds.[8]
Prior to his election to the Wyoming House of Representatives, Yin served as vice chair for the Teton County Democratic Party. During the 2016 Democratic primary, he canvassed in support of Bernie Sanders' campaign, and later canvassed for Hillary Clinton in the general election.
In 2018, Yin ran to represent district 16 in the Wyoming House of Representatives. The district covers most of the town of Jackson south of Broadway Street.[9] Yin ran unopposed for the Democratic nomination and faced Republican Barbara Allen in the general election. Allen led in a local poll conducted by the Buckrail media outlet prior to the election.[10]
Analysis from The Casper Star-Tribune in 2018 found that he would likely be the second Asian American elected to the body, after Indian-born Republican legislator Nimi McConigley, who served from 1994 to 1996.[11] Yin ultimately won the election by a 59.6% to 40.3% margin.
During his first term in office, he served on a select committee on Blockchain, Financial Technology and Digital Innovation Technology. He sponsored legislation that would raise the minimum wage in Wyoming and protect access to contraceptives.[12] In December 2019, he was part of a group of Asian Americans legislators who traveled to Japan as part of a program created by the U.S.-Japan Council and the Sasakawa Peace Foundation.[13] He was reelected in 2020 without opposition. Following his reelection, he was selected to serve on the Revenue Committee and the House Judiciary Committee going into 2021.[14]
In 2021, Yin cosponsored legislation to introduce a 4% state income tax to fund education.[15] In the 2022 election, he defeated Republican Jim McCollum by a 73.8% to 25.9% margin. In November 2022, he was elected by the Democratic caucus in the House of Representatives to serve as Minority Leader.