At a recent meeting of Texas' Tarrant County Democratic Party group representing Asian Americans, the packed room in a Vietnamese restaurant broke into whoops and hollers, a hallmark of Texas celebrations.
“This is the fastest-growing community in Tarrant County,” said Aftab Siddiqui, its co-chair, to whoops from the audience packed into the small Vietnamese restaurant. “And also the state.”
But aided by both rapid demographic shifts and a backlash to Donald Trump's racist and anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies, the suburbs around Forth Worth and other Texas cities are growing more racially diverse and the newcomers -- particularly Asian Americans -- tend to vote for Democrats.
In 2018, Democrats flipped two congressional seats in Texas. Now, they're eyeing at least six more GOP-held districts that may be vulnerable, including the 22nd District, which is anchored in Fort Bend County, along with parts of Harris and Brazoria counties.
The Asian American Pacific Islanders Committee was established a month ago, the latest sign of how Democrats believe a changing population might help them end the Republicans’ 30-year hold on Texas. The state’s Hispanic population is expected to surpass the number of white residents in 2022.
At the same time, an influx of Asian Americans is providing organizers like Siddiqui, who arrived from Pakistan in the 1990s, with hope that an influx of new voters can make a decisive difference. According to 2016 presidential election exit polling, 72% of Asian Americans in Texas voted for Hillary Clinton, compared to 26% who backed Donald Trump.
The Asian population is the fastest-growing group in the state, according to the US Census Bureau, which estimates that it grew 42% between 2010 and 2017.
At about 1.2 million people, it is still a small minority among a total population of a little more than 28 million, but Siddiqui said many were newly energized.
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| Sri Kulkarni, left, and Gina Ortiz Jones are running for Congress in Texas. |
This is good news for Asian American candidates Gina Ortiz Jones running to represent the sprawling 23rd Congressional District and Sri Kulkarni in the 22nd District in the suburbs of Houston.
Ortiz Jones, a Filipina American, hopes to win the seat that has been left open since incumbent Will Hurd, a moderate Republican, announced he would not seek reelection. Some say Hurd saw the writing on the wall as he was put in jeopardy by Trump's harsh immigration policies that he mostly opposed.
"We have already scared out Will Hurd," says Ortiz Jones, who lost to Hurd by a meager 1000 votes.
Instead of writing off Asian American voters because they either don't vote or vote Republican, Kulkarni has staked his entire campaign on the voting bloc, believing the growing number of minority voters in Texas' 22nd Congressional District are ready to oust Republican Rep. Pete Olson. The Indian American narrowly lost to Olson in the 2018 mid-terms. He hopes that Democrats will come out in droves in 2020 because of the high interest in the Presidential race.
"We don't have representation," Kulkarni says of Asian Americans in Houston. "You look at the population or look around at the area and you see our diversity. But then you see our leaders here. ... For a district that is 60% minority to never have had any minority representing them, there is something off there."
Instead of writing off Asian American voters because they either don't vote or vote Republican, Kulkarni has staked his entire campaign on the voting bloc, believing the growing number of minority voters in Texas' 22nd Congressional District are ready to oust Republican Rep. Pete Olson. The Indian American narrowly lost to Olson in the 2018 mid-terms. He hopes that Democrats will come out in droves in 2020 because of the high interest in the Presidential race.
"We don't have representation," Kulkarni says of Asian Americans in Houston. "You look at the population or look around at the area and you see our diversity. But then you see our leaders here. ... For a district that is 60% minority to never have had any minority representing them, there is something off there."
“Whatever happens … I’m going to be very proud of the effort we made,” Kulkarni said. “But clearly, if we’re successful, it’s going to have a dramatic effect with ripples throughout the country.”
Activist groups say that because of “voter suppression tactics used by the state and other entities,” the diversity of Texas is not reflected in state legislature and minority communities’ interests are not reflected in state policy.
“Our state legislators are generally a lot whiter and a lot wealthier than Texans,” said Hani Mirza, senior attorney at the Texas Civil Rights Project, a nonprofit organization based in Austin.
Voting rights groups have long accused Texas of extreme gerrymandering and restrictive voter registration rules, that in effect have rigged the state’s election rules in ways that disempower black and brown voters.
“The tactics used in gerrymandering can dilute minority votes to where they can't have their voice heard in elections,” said Mirza. He added that when drawing electoral lines, state legislature has broken up minority communities to dilute their votes, or packed minority groups into as few districts as possible to suppress their voice.
Texas is due for a federal census in 2020 and redistricting process in 2021 where electoral maps may be redrawn.
“Our state legislators are generally a lot whiter and a lot wealthier than Texans,” said Hani Mirza, senior attorney at the Texas Civil Rights Project, a nonprofit organization based in Austin.
Voting rights groups have long accused Texas of extreme gerrymandering and restrictive voter registration rules, that in effect have rigged the state’s election rules in ways that disempower black and brown voters.
“The tactics used in gerrymandering can dilute minority votes to where they can't have their voice heard in elections,” said Mirza. He added that when drawing electoral lines, state legislature has broken up minority communities to dilute their votes, or packed minority groups into as few districts as possible to suppress their voice.
Texas is due for a federal census in 2020 and redistricting process in 2021 where electoral maps may be redrawn.
“Because of the rhetoric that has been going against communities of color, this has become a lot more understood that, we have to step forward and fight for our rights in this current atmosphere,” Siddiqui said, explaining a surge of interest that prompted the new group to serve people in and around Fort Worth.
That has put the state on the cusp of change. With the second most votes in the Electoral College -- California is tops -- Republicans need to retain Texas in their corner to counter the expected Democratic victory in California.
That has put the state on the cusp of change. With the second most votes in the Electoral College -- California is tops -- Republicans need to retain Texas in their corner to counter the expected Democratic victory in California.
“Texas is at a watershed moment but in politics it is all about turning out the vote,”Siddiqui said. “If we can do that, we can turn it blue, but it might still go back and forth.”
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