[1][3] In 2016, Chang was a candidate for California's 29th State Senate district, losing the general election very narrowly to Democrat Josh Newman.

[1] Chang was elected to the California Assembly in the 55th district in 2014 and had five bills signed into law in her first seven months in office.

She ran against two Democrats, former Irvine Mayor Sukhee Kang and veteran Josh Newman to succeed Bob Huff in 2016 due to term limits.

[14] On June 5, 2018, Chang won a recall election for the same State Senate seat that she had lost to Josh Newman two years earlier.

Newman was targeted for recall by the Republican Party of California in an attempt to break the Democratic super majority in the Senate, though the campaign also emphasized Newman's vote to increase gas and vehicle taxes to fund infrastructure improvements.