New York City Comptroller John Liu (LOO) is expected to kick off a bid to become the first Asian-American mayor of the nation’s biggest city.

The Democrat has scheduled an announcement Sunday on the City Hall steps. He’s long been expected to run.

Liu is already the first person of Asian descent to be elected citywide in New York, and his mayoral ambitions illuminate the political rise of the city’s Asian-American population.

But his aspiration has been shadowed by a fundraising-conspiracy case against two former aides. They have pleaded not guilty, and Liu hasn’t been charged with any wrongdoing.

Liu worked as an actuary before winning a City Council seat in 2002 and the comptroller’s race in 2009.

Several other candidates also are seeking to succeed Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

(AP)