Asian American voters are known to predominantly vote for the Democrats. This trend has been observable since early 2008 when the national representative surveys about Asian Americans were first conducted. The Asian American demographic brought Joe Biden to Power in the 2020 presidential elections, defeating Trump by a significant margin, that is two to one. However, if you look a little closer, you’ll find that the data masks a more intricate reality. Although this demographic is more inclined to vote for the Democrats, they generally demonstrate weaker political affiliations, compared to other groups. With this, both the political parties target the demographic to persuade voters for the presidential election.
Asian American voters come from a hugely diverse group, with their roots present in more than 20 countries and speaking numerous languages. This makes them a significant, and one of the fastest-growing, eligible groups of electorate in the country. They show up at the poll in record numbers. No way, the political parties can take this demographic for granted. According to data published by American National Election Studies and AAPI Data, Asian American voters are twice as likely to identify as purely independent compared to the general electorate.
There has been a significant plummeting of votes for the Democrats among the Asian American community. Two-thirds of the demographic voted for Joe Biden in power in the 2020 election, which is over 70 per cent less than the number of the demographic voters who backed Barack Obama in 2012.
(Image Credit: Asian American Voter Survey 2020, American National Election Studies and AAPI Data)
(Image Credit: Asian American Voter Survey 2020, American National Election Studies and AAPI Data)
About 59% of Asian Americans consider themselves staunch or “strong” Democrats. Comparing this number to the 67 per cent of general-population democrats, we can clearly observe how this demographic is more likely to be persuaded as they are less firmly attached to any political party. This makes them an attractive target for the presidential election campaign outreach efforts.
A considerable portion of the Asian American electorate emerges from the newly neutralized American citizens. These citizens have grown up in varying political environments, and hence may not have strong ties to either the Democratic or the Republican party. These newly eligible sections of the electorate are still exploring and considering which party aligns the best with their values and ideologies.
The Asian American electorate is known to swing between parties, as they are not staunchly tied to anyone. For instance- the demographic displayed their influence in the 2020 presidential elections by showing up in record numbers, altering the political scenario of key states like Georgia. This upswing in the voters’ participation lead to Georgia securing two Democratic senate seats. On the other hand, the same voter group from the Chinatown area in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, which demonstrated a Democratic stronghold, in the 2022 midterms, provided backing to the Republican gubernatorial candidate, Lee Zeldin, due to concerns surrounding crime.
(Image Credit: Asian American Voter Survey 2020, American National Election Studies and AAPI Data)
Although Asian American voters constitute only 4% of the national electorate, they have been known to majorly influence the political scenario in every battleground state. For instance- in almost every key state for the 2024 presidential election, the number of Asian Americans who voted in 2020 outstripped the margin of victory. In each of these states, at least 17 per cent of the demographic who voted in the 2020 election were participating for the first time.
In recent years, there has been a growing investment in campaign outreach, both by the Democratic and the Republican parties, targeted toward this demographic. This became evident during the 2022 midterm in Nevada, where both parties sent out multilingual Asian mailers and published ads in local Chinese, Korean, and Tagalog-language newspapers. Additionally, the GOP orchestrated events in Asian community centres.
The Democrats have tripled in the outreach efforts targeted towards this demographic. Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate for the 2024 Presidential election, has pioneered an Asian American voter outreach initiative in Las Vegas. What is its focus?- to mobilize more of this community in key battleground states.
If Kamala Harris is chosen as the president, she will be the first South Asian and Asian American woman to be elected. This will turn out to be a historical and significant moment for the Asian American community.
The Asian American community is playing a vital role in this year’s several competitive down-ballot races., For instance, in Orange County, Michelle Steel, the Republican representative of California faces a tough challenge by Democrat Derek Tran, in a district which is a quarter Asian American. In San Fransisco, where Asian Americans make up one-fifth of the population, the leading mayoral candidates are resolutely seeking support from the community.
However, according to experts, when it comes to Asian American voters, there is still so much untapped potential left for both the Republican and the Democrat parties. A recent survey shows that around 42 per cent of this demographic has not been contacted by either of the party or their candidates. This further implies the broader scope of outreach for both political parties, targeting this important demographic.
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