Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Malcolm Amado Uno
202-223-9170
November 3, 2006
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Have the Potential
to Swing Races Across the Country
Washington, D.C. – This election cycle presents an opportunity for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to expand their sphere of influence beyond traditional strongholds in California and Hawaii. Recent polls suggest that several senatorial, congressional and gubernatorial races will be decided by a small margin. Given the growth in numbers and empowerment across the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, our voters are poised to exercise a critical role in determining elections across the nation.
An increase in overall population, higher citizenship rates and a high probability of voter participation equate to a stronger and broader political base for the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. “The numbers don’t lie – our community is growing and becoming naturalized at higher rates than years past. However, unless we mobilize our community to participate in the political process, these numbers will not transfer into political empowerment. If we are effective at increasing voter participation rates in the AAPI community, elected officials will have to listen to our concerns,” said Christine Chen, Executive Director of APIAVote.
In U.S. Senatorial races, Asian American voters may play a critical role in the following elections:
v In Virginia, where Asian American voters comprise 3.1% of the voting age population, incumbent George Allen (R) is locked in a fiercely contested race with James Webb (D). In a recent poll conducted by CNN from October 26-29, 2006, Webb held a 4% lead over Allen. However, two polls conducted immediately prior to this poll suggest that Allen held a small lead, albeit a marginal one. Allen enraged many in the APIA community in August when he referred to a Webb volunteer of Indian descent as a “macaca,” a word that means monkey. While Allen apologized for his remark, the Webb campaign has utilized his inappropriate comment to actively reach out to the APIA community through targeted literature drops, campaign fund raisers and phone-banking efforts.
v In New Jersey, where Asian Americans represent 3.5% of the voting age population, incumbent Robert Menendez (D), the state’s first Hispanic senator, is in a battle with current State Senator Thomas H. Kean (R). A CNN poll conducted between October 26-29 revealed a 7% lead by Menendez lead over Kean.
In U.S. Congressional races, Asian American voters may have a decisive role in the following elections:
v In California’s 11th Congressional District, Asian Americans comprise 10.7% voting age population. Many are surprised that Richard Pombo, a seven-term incumbent and chairman of the House Resource Committee is fighting off challenges by Gerald McNerney (D).
v In California’s 50th Congressional District Asian Americans constitute nearly 13% of the potential electorate. Brian Bilbray (R) narrowly defeated Francine Busby (D) in a June 6 special election to replace the seat vacated by former Congressman Randy “Duke” Cunningham. Recognizing the influence of the APA voter bloc, Busby has attended several events targeting the AAPI community. He placed an ad in the Filipino Press and participated in GOTV activities with a local Filipino-American organization.
v In New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District, where Asian Americans comprise over 7% of the voting age population, making it the largest ethnic minority in the district. Incumbent Michael Ferguson (R) is facing challenger Linda Stender (D), a member of the New Jersey General Assembly. The Stender campaign conducted a press conference emphasizing how improvements in the economy and educational system will ultimately benefit the AAPI community.
v In Washington State’s 8th Congressional District Asian Americans constitute 7.6% of the electorate.and incumbent first–term Congressman, Dave Reichert (R), is facing Darcy Burner (D), a former Microsoft executive. The APA population in this district is continuing to grow and currently has double the population of 10 years prior. Recognizing this growth, the Burner campaign is conducting extensive outreach to AAPI voters. These efforts include translating outreach materials into Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese, bilingual phone banks and campaign ads in three of the major ethnic newspapers in the region.
In Gubernatorial elections, Asian American voters have the potential to impact the following races:
v In Minnesota, where Asian Americans comprise close to 3% of the voting aged population, incumbent Tim Pawlenty (R) is seeking re-election and is engaged in a tough race with Mike Hatch (D), the current Attorney General. The majority of pollsters call this race roughly even. A recent poll conducted last week by the St. Paul Pioneer Press and the Minnesota Public Radio sees Hatch holding a lead over Pawlenty by only 2% and with 7% of voters undecided. The Mason-Dixon Polling & Research survey and the Zogby polls from October 23-27, 2006 also call Hatch’s 1 point lead a tossup when considering the margin or error.
v In Nevada, Asian Americans comprise 4.6% of the voting age population, Here James Gibbons (R) and Dina Titus (D) are battling for the seat vacated by current Governor Kenny C. Guinn. In a poll conducted by Mason-Dixon on October 23-27, 2006, Gibbons (R) held a 4% lead over Titus (D), and the Rasmussen poll conducted on October 30, 2005 show a lead of 2%. Between 1990 to 2000, Nevada experienced the fastest growth in the Asian American population and second fastest growth in Pacific Islander population across the nation. Recently, the Titus campaign attended a town hall meeting targeting Asian American and Pacific Islanders and also organized an AAPI dinner. The Gibbons campaign organized fundraisers, meet-and-greets and a rally targeting AAPI voters.
To capitalize on these developments, APIAVote has forged effective partnerships with local organizations to mobilize the AAPI vote in 4 states – Michigan, Washington State, Nevada and Minnesota. These voter mobilization efforts have taken several forms based on the strengths and needs of local communities. However, many of the programs incorporate a direct mailing, automated “robo” calls, direct voter contact, phone bank operations, canvassing and literature drops. Several of the programs also contain elements specific to the Asian American and Pacific Islander community. For example, as part of their voter engagement strategy for the Lao community the Minnesota program included outreach to members of the Lao Buddhist temples, and the Nevada program translated an outreach flyer into Tagalog, Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean to target AAPI small business owners.
In a democracy where elections are the mechanism by which the people govern, the Asian American and Pacific Islander community is raising its voice!
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The Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote) is a national non-partisan, nonprofit organization
that encourages and promotes civic participation of Asian Pacific Islander Americans in the electoral and public policy processes at the national, state and local levels.
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